What Could Happen
by Lily Hanson
Summary: Oedius has a plan and she's sure it's going to work this time.
1. Monsters at Night

_Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers Ninja Steel._

A lot had happened to the Ninja Steel Rangers. Madam Oedius had proven herself to be a terrifying threat, but she wasn't the reason for the Ninjas latest troubles. When Sarah's identity as the pink Ranger had been revealed to the city, it was the city who responded.

School had been difficult, and not just because it had been shut down twice. Sarah hadn't been able to attend, worried that her presence would cause a distraction, or instill fear into the other students. She worried appearing in public might be the cause for a riot, and most people had turned their backs on the Rangers.

But no one seemed to hate them more than one of their classmates. Harley hadn't just voiced his opinion of them, he acted. He threatened Kelly, pushing her out of her wheelchair and demanding she get Sarah to come to the school for a face to face conversation. When that didn't work, and when Harley got in trouble for what he did, he responded by not just pulling Kelly out of her chair again, but dragging her down to the locker rooms and taking advantage of her helpless position to beat her up.

Sarah responded exactly as Kelly expected she would. Once Sarah found out what happened, she marched down to the school. Her intention had only been to talk to Harley – to get him to lay off Kelly. Harley decided he wanted things to escalate. He had one of his friends call the police and when they showed up, everything really went to hell.

The police demanded Sarah turn over her Power Star. They knew it was the source of her powers and they didn't like knowing that she could summon them at will. They wanted her powerless so they didn't have to worry about a Ranger turning on them. Sarah was reluctant to give it up, knowing that if she did, Oedius would have easy access to it. But when the police continued to demand, and Sarah saw their guns were raised, loaded and they were ready to shot, despite the crowd full of people, she knew she had no choice.

Unfortunately, her decision didn't stop the bullets flying. Oedius was still out, but she had sent one of her loyal servants in her place to collect the pink Power Star as soon as it was available. The cops fired their guns, to no avail, and Badonna had managed to kill three students, one teacher and six police officers. Despite it all being caught on camera, the city's opinion of Sarah and the Rangers was already so low, they blamed her for what happened. Sarah had tried to help once she heard the gunshots, and she wished she could have helped after hearing Badonna showed up, but that didn't matter. From the city's perspective, Sarah brought trouble.

Sarah tried to stay away after that, but Oedius and Harley had other ideas. When Oedius send down a new monster, one that didn't hesitate to attack anyone who moved, Sarah knew she had to act. Being in the base, she was closer to the trouble than any of her friends at school. Since the monster was attacking people, she knew she had to do something to keep them safe. She figured the monster wouldn't be able to resist attacking a powerless Ranger and used that to keep the city safe.

Still, it wasn't her intentions that mattered, but the fallout. When Sarah tried to convince onlookers to leave, Venoma shot at her. Sarah managed to protect everyone, but that didn't matter to a father whose son was almost a victim. It didn't matter to anyone because the way the city saw it, that monster shot at people because Sarah was there.

An interview Kelly gave about the incident at school did change a few minds. Some people were ready to acknowledge that Harley was at least partially to blame for the attack in the school. He wanted Sarah to show up and did everything he could to ensure she did. Harley didn't like that. He didn't like being the victim when he felt he was doing his mother, and other victims of the clone attack justice.

Sarah and the other Rangers were sure that, at this point, he targeted Kelly because he was too afraid to take on Sarah. He entered the school, armed with a gun that Rebecca's report claimed he obtained legally, and started to shoot. He only had one target, but the weight of his actions had already hit him, and anything, even the slightest of movement from a scared student or teacher would spoke him. With a gun in his hand, his reaction was always to shoot.

Kelly wasn't at the school, but Victor was. He was perhaps the school's top Ranger supporter, or maybe even the only one. When the shootings started, Victor made a call to Sarah, begging she help.

Sarah did, but it wasn't without consequence. She couldn't talk Harley into giving up his grudge with her. She couldn't even convince him to lower his gun. However, when Venoma showed up, intent on escalating the situation, Sarah knew she needed to act. Venoma wanted to shoot Harley, but Sarah pushed him out of the way.

Spooked, and seeing a Ranger coming right for him, unaware the real danger was behind him, Harley shot at Sarah three times before she pinned him down. Preston caught everything on camera, showing how, despite having no powers, because of Harley, and in spite of Harley pointing a loaded gun at her, Sarah risked her life to save him.

When Tommy released his own footage showing Sarah saving the little boy, then simultaneously released Preston's footage showing Sarah protecting someone who wanted to cause her harm, public opinion changed. As Tommy had already claimed, people who had a personal reason for hating the Rangers weren't swayed by the footage, but people who followed the media were suddenly Ranger fans. It was enough of a swing to allow Sarah back in public.

It wasn't the same life she had from before her identity was revealed, but it was better than being stuck in Ninja Ops. And though Sarah had chosen to make that her home, unable to return to her old house without her mother, living there 24/7 was much more than she bargained for.

The school was closed for a few days until the investigation into the shooting was over. Harley was charged and awaiting sentencing. Regardless of how long he stayed in prison, he was expelled from school – never able to return.

Still, many students felt uneasy. No one had died in the latest attack, but school was still no longer safe for them. There were grief counsellors, psychologist and every professional the school could hire, including uniformed officers, to help the students feel safe once again. Nothing worked better than the day Sarah returned to school. Morale changed, and for the better, because students now knew that no matter what, Sarah would keep them safe.

It was a lot of pressure, but no more than Sarah already had on her shoulders. The only difference, really, was that now everyone knew she was one of the people keeping them safe.

Fortunately, her home life didn't change too much. Shane's promise to find somewhere new to live finally came through, and he had an apartment with a room for Sarah, if she wanted to use it. Kelly was invited to stay over too, though she preferred to stay with Hayley and Aaron most of the time. They were her family.

Still, the apartment was perfect for Kelly's visits and overnight stays. There were no stairs, everything was level, and Kelly had easy access to Sarah's bedroom, the kitchen and living room, and the bathroom. She didn't need help getting around. Sarah liked it because the apartment was new. She didn't expect to come home and find her mother or her father. She was able to move on.

And life did move on. Unfortunately, the more time passes, the more the Rangers were waiting with bated breath for Oedius' return. She wasn't likely to take getting beaten lightly.

That night, after school, Sarah went to hang out with Gia and her family. To help Sarah cope with losing her mother, Gia had offered herself to the pink Ranger as a sort of motherly-big-sister person. From what Gia had heard, she knew Sarah had learned to cope with her father's death, partially because Shane arrived to help out. He took on the role of caring for Sarah and her mother in Bill's absence, and while he never replaced Sarah's father, he was still a man she could turn to for guidance and support when she needed it.

Shane was still around – and was Sarah's legal guardian and the first person she would turn to in a time of crisis, but despite all of Shane's efforts, Sarah still had trouble with losing her mother. In hopes that it would help, Gia stepped up. She and Jake did want to grow their family but carrying their own child was a problem. Not to mention, Gia's high-risk job, and Jake being away for several months in a year meant they weren't ideal candidates for adoption.

Sarah needed to know that even though she had lost her mother, she still wasn't alone. Hayley and Kelly, who were also without mothers, at least had each other to lean on. In every way that mattered, they were sisters now, and they could share things with each other they couldn't share with anyone else – even Sarah.

Gia knew the pink Ranger needed that. Inviting Sarah over for dinner, checking in on her from time to time, and coming to her in a time of crisis would help her know that even without her mother, Sarah still wasn't alone.

An added benefit of Gia stepping up – she had a family. She would never diminish Shane's efforts to provide everything Sarah needed, but he didn't have a wife, or even a girlfriend. Gia had Jake, and she had her daughter. At least for a few hours, Sarah could be part of a traditional family. Gia remembered what it was like after her own father passed, when Claire moved in, and how having a second parent around helped her life feel just a little less unstable.

After dinner was finished, Sarah had to work on her homework. She stayed in the kitchen to get the work done and Gia sat with her, helping her to write out the work while Jake and Ciara were keeping busy in the living room. When the homework was finally done, Sarah closed her textbook and smiled brightly to Gia.

"Thanks."

"Not a problem," Gia answered. "I had to do the whole Ranger in high school thing too. I remember how tough it is."

"It's not as bad now that Mrs. Finch knows I'm the pink Ranger," Sarah said with a chuckle. "If there's even just rumours of a monster attack, she gives me an extra day or two to hand in assignments."

"Not that you need it. This would have taken me hours," Gia pointed to the worksheets Sarah had completed. "You just breezed through it."

"It's not that hard," Sarah said, but didn't seem convinced. Sarah chuckled. "Okay, so maybe for people who don't invent hoverboards and time machines, this is pretty tough."

Sarah packed her homework in her bag and stood up. Gia walked with her to the door.

"Do you want a ride home?" Gia offered. Despite wanting to be closer to Sarah, she and Jake hadn't moved closer to Summer Cove. Ciara's home was here, with her aunt and cousin right next door. They weren't about to change that for the little girl. Unfortunately, that meant getting from Gia's house to her own house, or even Ninja Ops, was a bit of a journey.

"My hoverboard is pretty fast," Sarah assured Gia. She strapped on her helmets, then the rest of her pads. "Shane knows I'm on my way and I'll call you when I get home."

"As soon as."

"Before I even walk through the door," Sarah said, then shook her head. "No, as soon as I turn onto my street. No, as soon as…"

"Just don't make me wait too long to hear from you," Gia rolled her eyes. "Make sure you're in the house first, and Shane knows you're home."

"Sounds fair," Sarah nodded. She called to the other room to let Jake and Ciara know she was leaving. Ciara seemed to jump up from where she was playing and raced to Sarah. One concern both Gia and Jake had about offering their home and their family to Sarah was how Ciara might respond. Though she was used to living in a home where her cousin would often visit, and where her parents were often looking after him, Sarah had much different needs from both Ciara and Joe that the little girl might not understand – such as the hour her mother might have to spend helping Sarah with homework instead of playing. Fortunately, Ciara seemed to love having an older friend come over to play. Sarah would always play with her before dinner, and Ciara was completely fascinated by Sarah's hoverboard. She was determined to one day ride it.

"Next time can I go on the hoverboard?" she asked Sarah. The pink Ranger shrugged her shoulders.

"Maybe I'll let you hop on the front if mommy and daddy buy you some special protective gear," Sarah reasoned. She knew Gia and Jake were worried about their daughter getting on her board. It wasn't that they didn't trust Sarah to keep her safe, but the board could get a little wobbly and while Ciara was especially coordinated for her age, she was still a little unsteady on her feet.

"The equipment you need is still too big," Jake said to his daughter. It was an outright lie. Sarah really didn't have anything except a helmet, some elbow pads and knee pads. They sold those with children's bikes, and Ciara and Joe were both old enough, and big enough, to ride their bikes around the backyard. However, Ciara didn't know that. She trusted her parents enough not to question it.

Sarah leaned down and whispered in Ciara's ear, "You know what helps you grow big fast?"

"What?" Ciara asked.

"Eating veggies. Maybe next time I come over, we'll see who can eat the most veggies?"

"Deal!" Ciara nodded. She gave Sarah and big hug, then Jake ushered her up the stairs to bed. Gia smiled as she watched them go, then looked to Sarah.

"She loves you."

"She's a cute kid," Sarah smiled. "A picky eater, though. Hopefully that veggie contest helps."

"Can't hurt," Gia shrugged. She stepped out on the porch with Sarah as the pink Ranger set up her hoverboard. "Don't forget to let me know when you're home."

"I won't."

"I'm serious," Gia said. "I've got a new team of Guardians ready in Summer Cove and I'm just eager to see them in action. If I don't hear from you, I'm…"

"You'd really call the cops on me?" Sarah chuckled. Gia started to wave goodbye.

"Call me as soon as you're home!"

Sarah rolled her eyes as she hopped on her board and started her ride home. It wouldn't be especially long. She was sure she would make it home before curfew, but it was starting to get dark and that made it a little harder for her to see where she was going. Worse, it made it harder for drivers to see her whenever she wanted to cross the street. She had to be very careful to watch where she was going.

When she finally arrived in city limits, she checked her watch. She was a little ahead of schedule and though she wanted to get home, she knew she could slow down just a bit to enjoy this last stretch of her ride. Being stuck in Ninja Ops for so long meant she couldn't ride her hoverboard. She wanted to make up for that time.

Sarah was almost at her house, just a couple of blocks away, when she thought she had someone following her. She glanced over her shoulder quickly, to calm those fears when suddenly, she heard a car honk it's horn. She came to a quick stop, right before she crossed the street, and looked to the driver of the car apologetically. She had almost crossed without looking, so rightfully the driver was a bit upset with her. He rolled his eyes as he seemed to recognize her, and Sarah watched him mutter "_Stupid Rangers"_ as he drove off.

Her heart was racing. It wasn't just the driver who had gotten a little fright. Figuring she was close enough to home anyway, she hopped off her board to walk the rest of the way. At least that way, she wouldn't go barrelling into traffic again.

Once she reached the other side of the road, she felt that gaze upon her again. She looked over her shoulder and around, just to make sure there was no one there. Since it was getting darker, there were few people on the road. Everyone was home from work and parents were putting their young kids to bed. Most teenagers in the city went to Summer Cove High, and were still trying to move past the events that had happened there. Few of them would be wandering the streets at this hour.

Although she didn't see anyone, that piercing gaze continued to haunt her. Sarah finally stopped walking.

"Who's there?" she asked. Her hand went to her back pocket, but she remembered Oedius had her Power Star, and if she was honest, she wasn't even sure there was a monster lurking. She just had a feeling that there were eyes watching her.

"You're quite perceptive," Oedius stated as she stepped out of the shadows. A street light lit her up. Sarah could see there were still some wounds and scars from when she had attacked her and Gia at the Silver Guardian's HQ, and there was a slight limp as Oedius walked. Otherwise, though, the fox monster appeared in good form. This was her first appearance since that day. Sarah had to think that meant Oedius at least felt strong enough to take on the Rangers. "Though, the driver of that car might beg to differ."

Sarah lifted her Ninja Comm to her mouth, ready to contact her friends, but Oedius shook her head with a smirk. Sarah slowly lowered her arm.

"What?"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," she said. "I have a few of my friends staking out that home you just left."

"Gia kicked your ass. What makes you think your friends will do any better?"

"The window overlooking the backyard," Oedius said and right away Sarah knew what she meant. That was Ciara's room. The little girl had gone to bed just after Sarah left, which meant she was likely asleep, and likely alone in her room. Jake and Gia had Tiger, who would often stay with Ciara during the nights, but if Oedius knew where Ciara slept, she was sure to know about Tiger as well. "I don't think either of us wants anything to happen to that precious little girl."

"What do you want?" Sarah asked. She already had the pink Power Star. Sarah had nothing more to give.

"I've been unwell this past month," Oedius said. "Bedridden, almost. Trapped inside my ship with nothing more to do than watch your pathetic earth television. I thought I might almost die of boredom."

"It's that easy to kill you?" Sarah asked, then pointed down the street. "Well, then come on home. My uncle has a whole collection of movies that are sure to kill you. Some of them aren't even in colour!"

"Despite how primitive your television is…"

"Says someone who hosted Galaxy Warriors…"

"Despite the primitiveness," Oedius repeated. "I was absolutely fascinated by recent events. Pink Ranger, I've known your identity a while, but it seems this city only just found out."

"Yeah, so?"

"The people you protect mentioned Galvanax quite a bit. Particularly the clones."

"My biggest mistake," Sarah nodded her head. "You know what happened. Your monster misused my technology."

"I knew that much," Oedius agreed. "And I'll admit, we were all slightly surprised by your technological prowess. A mere earthling able to create efficient, almost autonomous clones?"

"I destroyed that technology with your monster," Sarah said. "And I won't rebuild."

"I don't want the clones. You see, pink Ranger, on the day, we were only concerned with stopping you Rangers. The casualties… well, that wasn't our problem. But hearing the number of people who hated you for what happened made me curious. I wanted to see if there were people who loved you, who lost loved ones without realizing you were at fault. I searched our buzzcams and… well, I found something rather intriguing."

From her cloak, Oedius took out a tablet and showed a picture to Sarah. It was a side by side of her, Mick, and her father, as well as her with the Rangers. The timestamp on both pictures were the same.

"I knew you had made an attempt to rescue your father," Oedius said. "I just didn't realize it happened at the very same time you were also fighting with your team."

"Fight fire with fire."

"Only this isn't fire," Oedius shook her head. "All my scans tell me that it's you in both images. No clones, no magic, no tricks. There's only one way that's possible."

"How?" Sarah asked, though she knew the answer. She didn't want to give Oedius any information.

"Time travel," Oedius smirked. She set her tablet aside. "Now, I've heard stories of a former attack on this planet that involved time travel. It ended in utter failure because… well, let's just say Vrak isn't exactly the most competent life form this galaxy has ever seen…"

"Vrak?" Sarah asked and wondered why the name sounded so familiar.

"I have a much better plan," Oedius insisted. "Unfortunately… I don't have the help I need to build myself a time machine in the amount of time it seems it took you."

"How long do you think it took me?" Sarah asked. "And how do you know I can do it again?"

"Because if you don't, I know a little girl who will have wished her parents goodnight for the last time," Oedius said.

"If you hurt her…"

"That's entirely up to you," Oedius said. "Are you coming, or do I have to tear apart another family?"

Sarah glanced down the street at her house. It was too far to run to. Oedius, even with a limp would catch up. Even if she couldn't, she had made it clear that all she needed to do was give the order and Ciara would be in trouble.

Sarah couldn't call for help either for the same reason. Oedius just needed to say the word and whoever was staking out Ciara's window would move in for the kill.

"Is your uncle expecting you?" Oedius asked. "Call him. Tell him you're staying over with a friend."

Sarah took her phone out of her pocket. She called home slowly, hoping an idea would come to mind, or that someone would see her in trouble and know how to help. Unfortunately, she couldn't take too much time. She had dialled her uncle while Oedius waited impatiently.

"Shane, I know I should be home soon but… is it alright if I stay over at Gia's? Ciara and I built this really cool fort and we want to camp out," Sarah rolled her eyes at herself. Of course, she could come up with a lie for her uncle on the spot, but not find a way out of trouble. Shane gave her the okay, especially once Sarah promised she would be on time for school. Then she hung up. She hoped that would be the end, that Oedius would take her. Gia was expecting a call and if she didn't get one, Sarah knew she would follow through with her threat to check up on her.

Oedius, true to her nature, had though this through.

"Now, call that yellow Ranger, tell her you're home," Oedius demanded. Sarah made the call and suddenly an idea occurred to her. When Gia picked up the phone, Sarah remained perfectly calm.

"Hey Gia. Just made it home. Shane saw me walk in and everything."

"_Good. You're safe and sound."_

"Safe, sound, and a little hungry. I might have cookies and a glass of milk, then go to bed."

"_Uh… okay. Sure,_" Gia answered, a little thrown by the detail. She didn't need to know Sarah's whole bedtime routine. She just wanted to make sure the Ranger she had put herself in charge of was home safely. _"Goodnight."_

"Good night," Sarah said, then hung up the phone. "Anyone else you want me to call?"

"Should do," Oedius nodded. "Follow me."

"That monster isn't still outside Ciara's bedroom, is it?"

"Let's just assume I've always got someone watching her," Oedius said.


	2. Disappeared

Back in Harwood County, Gia hung up the phone after Sarah's call then walked to the living room, where Jake was watching TV.

"Sarah home safe?" he asked. Gia nodded.

"Yeah. And apparently, she's going to have milk and cookies," Gia said.

"That's a great idea!" Jake hopped off the couch to make himself a late-night snack. He walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge to pull out the milk. As he did, he noticed Tiger standing by the back door. Usually, once Ciara was in bed, Tiger liked to stay with her. Tonight, Tiger's focus seemed to be the backyard.

"See a squirrel or something, cat?" he asked. Tiger huffed her response. Her eyes never drifted away from one spot in the backyard. "Is there really something out there?" Jake asked. He walked up to the door and looked out, but he couldn't see anything. Tiger started to growl and looked like she wanted out. Assuming she might have to pee, he opened the back door. Tiger raced out, roaring loudly as she did. She charged for that one spot she had been staring at and Jake finally noticed something – or someone – running away.

Then it occurred to him what he was holding: milk. He wanted milk and cookies because Sarah had told Gia how she was going to have milk and cookies now that she was home. Jake never thought anything of it until right now. He raced into the living room.

"The codeword!"

"What?"

"Your codeword… did you ever tell Sarah about it?"

Gia thought back. There had never been a reason to tell anyone outside of the Megaforce team about her codeword for when she needed help.

"I… Once."

"When?" Jake asked.

"When Sarah and I were both in the hospital after Oedius," Gia said. "I went to visit her room one night and we were just talking about monsters and stuff."

"Did you tell her about milk?"

"Yes," Gia nodded. "She brought up how she's had a few panic attacks because of Oedius and when I mentioned mine, I told her I had a codeword to use so you and the others would know I really needed help."

Jake didn't say anything and instead lifted the pitcher of milk he had carried in with him. Gia's eyes widened.

"Shit!"

"Call her back, I'm going to check on Ciara," Jake said. Gia's eyes widened even further.

"Ciara?"

"Someone was in the backyard." Jake raced up the stairs to check on his daughter as Gia took out her phone. She tried calling Sarah back, but there was no answer. She tried again, this time while running next door to Emma's house. She banged on the door. Emma answered with Tiger by her side. Gia looked down at her cub, then at her sister.

"She was roaring in the backyard. Joe's asleep and you know her roars scare him!" Emma scolded the yellow Ranger. Gia didn't say anything and raced upstairs to Joe's bedroom. She burst in and found, to her relief, that Joe was sitting up in his bed. He had some tears in his eyes, likely because he heard Tiger roaring, but he was otherwise okay. Gia scooped him up and hugged him tight. Emma followed her into the room.

"Okay, you're scaring me."

"Jake saw someone in the backyard," Gia said. She set her phone down when she still didn't get an answer from Sarah. "Joe's fine, though."

"Was he in trouble?" Emma asked. It did concern her that there was someone in the backyard, but if Tiger had been out there roaring, they were likely long gone by now and Emma had already been to check on Joe before Gia arrived.

"I have to go to Summer Cove."

"You're not officially back to work until tomorrow," Emma said, but that didn't stop Gia from racing out of the house, with Tiger right behind her.

-Ninja-Steel-

Sarah wasn't ready to submit to Oedius. She had come to the ship willingly, but only because Oedius had threatened a little girl. Ciara was only four years old. While it wouldn't take much to cause her fear or pain. Oedius wasn't one to simply do the bare minimum and call it a day. Sarah was sure that if she protested, it would be Ciara who suffered.

She couldn't have that on her conscious. She was stronger and once her friends realized what happened, she was sure they would come for her.

She hoped they figured out what happened.

Serena and Gia didn't like to reveal much about their Ranger pasts. Sarah heard pieces of their histories through short anecdote, and had managed to put some other pieces together based on comments that the two former Rangers made either to themselves out loud, or to each other. However, Sarah didn't know much. Now that she was spending more time with Gia, though, she did know a little bit more.

Sarah wasn't prone to anxiety. For the most part, she was maybe even a little over confident in herself and her abilities. That didn't mean she wasn't immune, though. She had suffered a panic attack when trying to create Power Stars for her friends, and again when she had been kidnapped by her brother. She did always worry that they might come back, at times where she started to feel a little worried, especially now that her mother wasn't around. When she mentioned that to Gia, she was surprised to hear the yellow Ranger felt the same. Gia shared with her how the panic could be so consuming sometimes, that Gia couldn't find the words to explain it, or even the words to tell her friends it was happening.

So, Jake had come up with a codeword so that she could quickly and easily tell her friends she needed help: milk.

Gia had only told Sarah that story once. Sarah had no reason to believe that using it now would trigger a reaction from the yellow Ranger, but she had to try something. She wanted to hope that the sooner they realized she was in trouble, the sooner she could get back home.

Oedius had no idea this was happening – or so Sarah wanted to believe. Once they were in Oedius' ship, Sarah was led to a small workroom. There were no windows and just the one door, however there was a bench and shelves filled with tools. This wasn't meant to be a prison, but it sure felt like one.

"You'll be staying in here," Oedius said. Sarah looked to her.

"No bed?"

"You'll be working on creating me a time machine."

"And if I can't?" Sarah asked. She had only built one, and while that was already one more than any other human Sarah had met or heard of, it didn't mean Sarah was now an expert on building time machines.

Even her first-time machine, she hadn't built alone. Mick had helped her – a lot. Without him, she wasn't sure she would have been able to do it. She didn't want to tell Oedius that. She knew if Oedius heard she would need Mick, she would go after the Ranger mentor.

"You'll be here until you do," Oedius said. She wasn't going to play around with the ifs or buts. She seemed confident Sarah would be successful.

Sarah bit her lip and looked at the tools around her. She had far more than she did back at the base.

"Don't think of trying anything funny," Oedius warned her, then pointed to the corner of the room. "Every inch of this ship is covered by a camera. I'll be watching everything you do and the minute I sense you're not on task…"

"I won't try anything," Sarah promised, only because she didn't want to hear Oedius threaten Ciara, or anyone, again. Oedius nodded her head then left the room. She slammed the door shut behind her and Sarah heard it lock. She looked to the door, then to the shelves. "I guess… I start with designing the machine… Figure out the time manipulation part later?"

Sarah pulled off some paper and brought them over to the table. Without someone to help her write down and read her calculations, designing a time machine would prove difficult, but at least Sarah could put down her idea of how the machine would look. With Serena, she had learned that while she couldn't write or read, she could still understand symbols. It wouldn't be a perfect system, but Sarah was hoping that this would only be a way of killing time until her friends came.

She hoped she wouldn't be here long.

-Ninja-Steel-

Tiger had her nose to the ground, trying to smell where Sarah might be. Gia wasn't confident this would work, but she knew she needed to try. Since Tiger was a tiger, not a bloodhound, smelling out trails wasn't her best talent. She was an ambush predator and so all her skills were adapted to help her locate a target and strike without being seen or heard.

Still, Tiger could smell better than Gia, and without any clues for what happened, Gia was left with hoping Tiger could smell where Sarah deviated from her route home.

"Anything?" Gia asked her cat, who looked up and shook her head. "Really?"

Gia let out a sigh and rolled her eyes before noticing Serena coming down the street. As soon as she heard that there was trouble, she had called for Serena to be a helping hand. She didn't want to contact the current team, or Shane, just yet. She wanted to be sure there was trouble before worrying them.

"You rang?"

"I told her to be safe," Gia said. "I told her to call me as soon as she got home. She knew to go straight home."

"What happened?"

"Sarah called me about an hour ago. She said she made it home."

"And… that's illegal in Summer Cove? Talk about entrapment."

"Then she mentioned she was going to have some cookies and milk."

Serena started to smile, "That's a great idea! How about we go home and…"

"Milk."

"Yeah, the white stuff from cows. Trust me, I know milk."

"No, Serena, not milk. _Milk._"

"Oh… oh!" Serena gasped, then looked to the yellow Ranger questioningly, "Wait… are you sure?"

"Pretty sure," Gia nodded her head. "What I'm not sure of is what happened, but since Sarah asked for help in code, I'm pretty sure she's with someone."

"Oedius?" Serena asked. "It's been a while. You're almost back to work. Makes sense that she would be doing better too."

"Is it better if it's her?" Gia asked. "I mean… it's possible but…"

"But…?"

"Sarah's family."

"The dead ones or the ones in prison?" Serena asked then breathed out a heavy sigh. "Wow, that's depressing to say."

"The ones we don't know about," Gia stated. "I mean… Drex let Kathryn have two kids while she worked for him. Who's to say there aren't more? Or even… Sarah's father."

"He _was_ a good guy."

"Who once slept with a prostitute," Gia reminded her. "While he may have had a favourite, whose to say she was his only pick? If Kathryn really was as good as she claims, she would have been booked every night. It's possible Bill slept with some other girls, who maybe didn't tell him they were pregnant."

"And they would know about Sarah?"

"Her story is plastered all over the news," Gia nodded. "Everyone's digging into everything. I have a whole department at Summer Cover HQ that's going to be dedicated to looking in what the media digs up to make sure it doesn't cross any lines – at least until Sarah's eighteen."

Serena nodded. It made sense that there would be doubts. Since Drex had allowed two children to be born, it was possible he had allowed more. Sarah could have a number of half siblings in this city, or any city Kathryn and Drex would have lived in. It was also possible that Bill did have other children he didn't know about. While Serena felt it was more likely that Sarah's disappearance was related to Oedius, it made sense that Gia didn't want to rule anything out because it was unlikely.

"If Sarah was with someone, can't Tiger smell them out?"

"We've tried." Gia shook her head. "Tiger can barely tell where Sarah's been, never mind if the other smells around are people who have just been walking around or the person who might have taken her."

"And we're sure she's not home?" Serena asked. "Only because if she was supposed to be home and wasn't, wouldn't Shane have given you a call?"

"Whoever took her made sure Sarah covered her ass with me," Sarah warned. "They might have made sure she covered her ass with Shane too."

"But we don't know?"

"We don't know anything," Gia grumbled. "This is the part of the job that I hate."


	3. Tomorrow Is Too Soon

Gia and Serena were up all night, trying to figure out what could have happened to Sarah. However, as the morning light started to rise, the two women were faced with what they were hoping to avoid.

"We have to tell them," Serena said, causing Gia to sigh. "They need to know now."

Gia knew Serena was right. The Rangers and Shane needed to know if there was trouble. She knew that if any of her teammates had gone missing, she would want to know right away.

She didn't want to break the news, though. For the Rangers, life was finally starting to get back to normal. Routines were starting to come back in the school, after what had happened with Badonna appearing and then Harley shooting a few of the students. The city had finally come to realize that the Rangers were here to help and were finally leaving Sarah alone. Life was back to normal for the Rangers, except that now it wasn't. Once again, things were going to be turned upside down.

"This sucks."

"Yep."

-Ninja-Steel-

Sarah rubbed her eyes. She was tired. She wanted to fall asleep. She couldn't. She checked the camera in the corner of her room – her prison. Oedius had threatened that she would be watching, and that there would be very real consequences if she found Sarah wasn't doing what she was told.

Oedius never made empty threats, so Sarah didn't want to risk that she was lying, or that the camera was even a fake. She knew she needed to work. She knew she just had to wait for her friends to come and help her.

She yawned loudly and rubbed her eyes again. She tried to focus on the paper in front of her, as well as the pieces of her machine. She had the design finished up, she just needed to get to work on building it.

Tired as she was, the building process wasn't going as smoothly as she hoped. As she tried to screw two pieces of metal together to form the skeleton of her machine, her hand slipped, and she stabbed herself. She didn't bleed, but it hurt like hell. Sarah let out a cry and put her hand in her mouth to ease the pain a bit.

At this moment, the door opened. Sarah looked up to see Badonna delivering her what looked like a meal. It wasn't much, just some bread and water, but at least it was something.

"Madam Oedius expects the time machine to be finished by tomorrow," Badonna announced and Sarah's eyes widened.

"Tomorrow!? But I haven't even begun to figure out how to make it work!"

"Good thing there are no distractions," Badonna said. She dropped the tray on the floor. The water spilled, soaking the bread that was next to it. Now the meal was truly unappetizing. Badonna looked to Sarah with a smirk, "Oops."

She turned and left. Sarah looked to the camera.

"Tomorrow isn't enough time," she pleaded with Oedius. She hoped it was for nothing. She didn't want to be here tomorrow. If she had her way, tomorrow she would be waking up in her own bed.

Oedius wouldn't respond through the camera. Sarah doubted she would respond at all. Assuming the next time she saw Oedius would be when the time machine was complete, Sarah continued to work. Now that she knew there was a very real deadline, she didn't even have time for the soggy bread that had been delivered. Sarah needed to work.

-Ninja-Steel-

Mick had called the Rangers to Ninja Ops that morning. After Serena and Gia arrived with some awful news, he knew he had to get the Rangers in first thing.

Becoming a mentor was never something he had anticipated the day he was kidnapped by Galvanax's crew. He had been a prisoner for so long before he met Brody, he was sure he would die in his cell. He was sure he would die never seeing the people he loved again. While he had still never seen his family again since that day, when he met Brody, he had started a new family

Brody had his share of doubts and fears while prisoner, but there was always one thing that kept the future red Ranger going. He wanted to get home to his brother. Brody didn't want to be a slave, he wanted to be free and he wanted to stop the monsters who enslaved him from hurting more people.

When Brody came up with his plan to escape the ship, Mick agreed to follow. He had nothing to lose. Either they were successful, and they finally had their freedom, even if it was on a new planet, or they were caught and killed. In both cases, Mick would be able to escape his cell. Mick never imagined that freedom would come with a whole new family.

Brody, of course, he loved. Brody was the closest thing to a son Mick felt he would ever have. While he didn't want to completely ignore the fact that it was possible he might still find love, he was so busy helping the Rangers, he barely had time to explore his new home planet, never mind find someone to date. He wasn't even sure he could have children with anyone on earth.

He didn't feel like he was missing out. Mick loved Brody like a son, and to him, that was all the fulfillment he needed. Seeing Brody was finally happy, finally reunited with his brother and his father, as well as thriving with his new friends was all the happiness Mick could ask for. If Brody was doing well, Mick was doing well.

Shipping was a word that Mick had always heard, even as a child. On Earth, though, it had a different meaning from the one he grew up with. Mick had learned that shipping was what it was called when two people were paired together, often romantically. To ship a couple meant that the person liked that couple and wanted to see them together.

In every sense of the word, Mick was a huge Calvin and Hayley shipper. They were the first humans he had met on Earth and from their first interaction, he liked them individually and together. Calvin seemed like a great guy. His heart was always in the right place, and he always tried to be helpful to his friends. While at times he did tend to slack off, or was even late for meetings, Calvin was still a very trustworthy and reliable friend. He would never disappoint, and if he did, he would more than make up for it.

Hayley was compassionate and kind. Like Calvin, she also wanted to help, but she had a more maternal way of going about it. She liked to look after and care for her friends. Though she liked to be helpful, she wasn't a pushover, either. She stood up for herself and for her friends, especially when they had no one else in their corner.

Calvin and Hayley were probably the best first two people for Mick to run into. Not only were they helpful, reliable and resourceful, but they were also kind. When he bumped into them, they had no idea who he was, where he had come from, or why he could shape shift. All they knew was that he needed help and they did everything they could. They brought him to the school, where he somehow landed himself a job and a temporary home.

Together, Mick shipped them because they were the perfect pair. They loved each other deeply, and trusted each other immensely as well. As their teacher, Mick got to hear the different rumours and stories floating around the school about Calvin and Hayley – or Cayley. Neither one believed any rumour, and when there was trouble, they always went to each other first. They were strong. If Mick did ever have a relationship, he wanted it to look like what Calvin and Hayley had.

Mick loved Preston. He loved that the blue Ranger was a lot like him. Mick, though very smart, could be a bit nervous and hesitant at times. There was so much that he needed take care of as a Ranger mentor that he didn't want to miss, forget, or do something wrong and have it cost the Rangers. Preston was also nervous. He liked to pay attention to detail and if something didn't sit right with him, it would take a lot of coaxing to get him to do it. However, Preston always pulled through for his friends when they needed him, and his need to give situations and ideas a second thought helped to prevent some disasters.

Not to mention, like Mick, Preston had a few powers of his own. While Mick could shapeshift, Preston had his magic. He loved his passion so much that the Ninja Steel had decided to grant him real powers. Preston was still working on perfecting the new spells and tricks that he could do, and because of his nervous nature, he hadn't used magic much on the battle field since the day he discovered it. Mick liked being able to discuss magic and shapeshifting with Preston. They were things that were so common to him, where he lived, but so foreign to Earth. Talking with Preston felt a bit like home.

Mick had big expectations for Levi. For ten years, Brody had talked his big brother up, saying how amazing, and kind and cool his brother was. Mick had been almost certain that when – if Brody found his brother, he would be disappointed. Ten years was a long time to go without seeing someone and especially after the trauma the boys had suffered, it was a long time for them to both be very different people.

Aiden – Levi did not disappoint. Once it was discovered that Levi and Brody were brother, the boys were almost inseparable, and their brotherly relationship seemed to resume as if there had been no time apart. They liked to tease each other, mock each other, but at the end of the day, they were each other's biggest supporters. What Mick loved most about Levi was that the gold Ranger took his big brother duties seriously. Mick could relax now where Brody was concerned because he knew Levi would pick up the slack a little bit – and he knew Brody would love more time with his brother.

The Nexus Prism hadn't picked Kelly to be a Ranger, but somehow, she made her way not just into the Ranger family, but into the spandex as well. If there was anyone else who Mick felt he had something in common with, it had to be Kelly. Like himself, Kelly had to grow up in a world that wasn't home. While she hadn't been kidnapped, she had learned at a young age that she wasn't falling in love with who her family thought was the right people. Instead of getting crushes on boys, and seeing herself falling in love and wanting to raise a family with the man of her dreams, Kelly like girls. She wanted to have a relationship with a girl. She wanted to get married to a woman. Kelly's parents, her whole family and community weren't supportive. At a young age, Kelly felt different – trapped. She knew there was a better world out there for her somewhere, but she didn't have the resources or the power to go find it. Mick could relate to that a lot, so his heart always went out to Kelly whenever there were hard time.

And there were hard times, not just for Kelly, but all the Rangers. Brody had been tricked by Oedius' robot Aiden. He took the deception hard, especially when he realized that his refusal to listen to his friends' concerns nearly cost them. Calvin and Hayley had struggled when Calvin accidentally outted very private relationship business to the whole school. While their relationship hadn't been affected in the long run, Mick knew there were still rumours, and Mick knew there would always be reminders of what happened. Losing a child, even one they hadn't met, and even when it was their choice to lose the child, would always be difficult.

Preston had a difficult relationship with his parents, and while that was the truth for most of his life, the relationship really started to strain when Preston became friends with Sarah. Unfortunately, the Tien parents shared more in common with Kelly's than any of the other Ranger parents. Preston had been brave for standing up to his parents and even moving out for a while. Though things were better now, Preston still rarely spoke to, or about his parents. Generally, the blue Ranger was happy, but Mick knew it was painful for him to be so distant from his parents.

Levi, like Mick, was a prisoner on Galvanax' ship, but he had been a prisoner of Oedius. While he didn't remember much, and it wasn't for nearly as long as Mick, there were painful memories of his time as a captive. Levi didn't like to speak of them at all, but his blood did always seem to boil, and he always got a little nervous around the fox.

Kelly had been kicked out of her home. She lost her family. Then, just when she found one again, it was ripped from her as well. To add insult to injury, she had been raped and shortly after losing the only real mother she ever knew, Kelly suffered an injury that left her in a wheelchair. It was a lot to adjust to, in such a short time, for someone who was still so young. Kelly remained as optimistic as she could, but there always were, and always would be, hard days.

Mentoring these teens was a challenge, but it also came with great rewards. He loved the Rangers. They were his best friends – his family. If he was trapped on Earth for the rest of his life, he knew that if he had them, he would be okay.

So, he always did his best by them. He always tried to give them the best advice that he could, and when they had a lesson to learn, he made sure that they learned it on their own. He knew lessons taught weren't as effective as lessons learned. He tried to give them space when they needed it, but still be around if they needed someone to talk to.

The point was, he loved the Rangers. He always wanted to be there for them when they needed it. He wanted to help them.

Breaking this news, and breaking their hearts, wouldn't be easy.

Tired, the Rangers arrived at the base. Brody and Levi were first, with Preston close behind. Calvin arrived and had picked up Hayley and Kelly on the way. Morning meetings weren't uncommon, so no one had questioned why they were called in before school, but they did usually mean something was brewing.

"Is this about Oedius?" Brody asked. He took a seat on the couch. "Has she been sighted? Made a threat?"

"Where's Sarah?" Preston asked. He checked his watch. Gia was here, so Sarah wasn't with her. If she had come from home, it wouldn't have taken this long for her to make it over. If she had spent the night in Ninja Ops, she would be here now.

"Don't freak out," Gia started, though she knew that was exactly how to freak people out. All the Rangers grew instantly concerned. Gia didn't regret her word choice, though. While she had told them not to worry, they had every reason to. "Sarah spent the evening with me last night. At the end of the night, as we arranged, she made her own way home."

"Please tell me she crashed her hoverboard," Kelly said, then sighed. "God, that's weird to say."

"I made sure she knew to call me once she got home," Gia said. "And she did… at least, I thought she did."

"So… did she or not?" Levi asked.

"I have a codeword I use when things get a bit… much," Gia explained. "When I need some time to myself, or just need to have a moment, I say the word milk. When I got the phone call from Sarah that she was home, she told me, completely randomly, that she was going to have some milk and cookies."

"We've been up all night looking for her," Serena said. "The problem is, we have no idea what happened, who took her, where they took her from, or where she is."

"So, we know nothing?" Calvin frowned.

"Wait? We know someone took her?" Levi asked.

"It's our best guess. If Sarah were in trouble and needed help, she could have just asked for it. The fact that she didn't makes me think someone took her," Gia said. "Oedius is our most likely suspect but… I don't feel comfortable ruling everything else out."

"Okay… so we know someone has her, but not who, or where they took her, or why they took her, or what they plan on doing with her?" Calvin asked. He looked worriedly to his teammates. He knew Sarah could take care of herself. She always had, and he wanted to trust that she would. Still, he couldn't be sure. With so many unanswered questions, he couldn't depend on Sarah taking care of herself. The fact that someone had her in the first place meant she was already in over her head.

"She's got one thing going for her," Serena said. "She's already found a way to let us know she's in trouble. Every hour is crucial so…"

"So, if you've been looking for her all night, why are we just finding out about this now?" Kelly asked and crossed her arms angrily. "This is six extra people who could have been looking for her."

"Eight," Mick said and pointed to himself and RedBot. "We can try to run scans. Hopefully, if this is just someone off the streets who has her, they haven't thought to turn her communicator off."

"Thomas did," Kelly muttered.

"We're doing what we can," Gia insisted. "Until we know more…"

"Don't say we wait and see if someone reaches out," Kelly shook her head.

"I was going to say Serena and I will focus on normal criminal leads," Gia said. "Mick, RedBot, you can monitor the city and the news for anything unusual. The perks to a known Ranger is that if anyone sees her doing anything even a bit unusual, it'll be on every TV, station and social media website before the end of the hour. Ninjas, if it's Oedius that has her, she'll likely start to make her intentions clear soon. Get ready, you may be faced with an attack."

"So, if it's Oedius, we just wait on…"

"Oedius has proven to be far more dangerous than any other monster we've faced," Mick reminded Kelly and the others. "She's calculating. Until we know more, the best way we can help Sarah is by making sure we can at least keep up with Oedius."

"Do you remember where you hit her?" Brody asked Gia. "Even if she's recovered, her wound is likely still going to be tender. Hitting it again might hurt her a lot more than anything else we can do."

"Aim for the chest," Gia told him. "And don't pull any punches. I don't care what Oedius tells you, what she threatens you with, or who she threatens. Ignore her and take her down."


	4. Time Is Ticking

School was different that morning without Sarah. It wasn't just because the Rangers knew she was missing either. After the two traumas that the school had faced in just about a month's time, everyone was on edge.

With Sarah, everyone felt safer. They knew if danger arose, Sarah would jump into action. She had proven that already, and with her Ranger powers, there was very little that could stop her.

Sarah's absence was very noticed by everyone. Kelly sat in math class, first frustrated because at the drop of a pencil, or any other noise, no matter how small, everyone would jump. Fearing it was another gun, another attack, or anything dangerous made everyone freak out. Kelly wouldn't jump because of the noise, but she would jump when students shouted out. Her mind was on Sarah, and Sarah only, and hearing someone cry would only serve to make Kelly think of what might be happening to her – and how helpless Kelly felt right now.

Brody passed her a note. Kelly looked to him, then when Mrs. Finch wasn't looking, she opened it.

_Training – hardcore. Lunch and after school_. The note said. Kelly looked to Brody again and gave him a nod. Of course, she would be training. Of course, she wouldn't do anything but. Whoever had Sarah, Kelly wanted to be ready. She would be training right now, if it didn't raise suspicion. The Rangers all assumed that since Sarah was absent from school, their being absent on the same day would raise suspicion about their own secrets. While Sarah's public image was now good, the Rangers wanted to keep their identities secret for more than just popularity. There were still people out there who wanted to see the Ranger hurt, and they didn't need that drama.

Maybe this wasn't Oedius who kidnapped Sarah. Maybe another psycho was on the loose. Kathryn? Could she have found a way out of prison? Thomas? Another sibling Sarah might not know about? Some one else who worked for Drex, or who Drex worked for?

There wasn't even confirmation that Sarah had been taken. Odds were good, but odds were never in favour for the Rangers.

Kelly grabbed her head in her hands. All of this was confusing. She just wanted her girlfriend back.

"You okay?" Hayley leaned in closer to Kelly.

"I think I need to use the washroom," Kelly muttered.

"I'll go with you," Hayley said. They asked Mrs. Finch if they could leave, then Hayley left with Kelly. When they were a little way down the hall, Hayley turned to Kelly. "I'd ask if you're okay… but…"

"Is it stupid that I wish I could trade places with her?" Kelly asked. "Does that mean there's something wrong with me?"

"Just means you're worried."

"She's been through so much…"

"You too," Hayley said. "We all have. We're all hurting here. But the one thing we know for sure, is we're not going to rest until she's home. As worried as I am, I'm looking forward to the pizza party we'll have."

"The pizza party?"

"Calvin and I kind of consider it a tradition now. We get pizza and ice-cream, and for a little while, everyone can forget about what's going on. Sarah gets the pineapple, Calvin teases her about it, then she spends the rest of the night trying to put pineapple pieces into everything he eats."

"She does that?" Kelly asked with a laugh. Hayley nodded her head.

"She calls it exposure therapy. Calvin calls it annoying. Secretly, he loves it, though. He takes it as a sign that everything's okay. I like when the pizza arrives, how we always think we should have ordered more, but by the time we finish eating, there's still two boxes left."

"Then we fight over who gets to take home the leftovers," Kelly chuckled. "I just like having everyone together."

"Me too. It feels…"

"Normal?"

"Exactly," Hayley nodded, and Kelly smiled. "We don't get a lot of normal anymore. And just when we think we do…"

"This happens."

"We'll figure it out, though," Hayley promised, just as the bell rang. She looked up, then smirked, "Well, that's lunch. Shall we head out back?"

"Race you there," Kelly smirked.

-Ninja-Steel-

There was no clock in the prison. Sarah was sure that tomorrow was approaching, but she had no sense of how much time she had. Either way, she was struggling. She had the machine built, but she had no idea how to power it, and less idea of how to manipulate time.

She wracked her brain, trying to think of what she and Mick had done. He had been the one to focus on the time travel part, but Sarah had watched and learned. However, she had only done it once, and now working under pressure for a monster wasn't helping.

For a moment, Sarah dozed off. She only realized this when her head fell forward just a bit and she was jolted awake in a panic. She yawned loudly and rubbed her eyes. Despite that, she struggled to keep them open. At this point, standing was a challenge. Doing the math in her head was exhausting, but without someone to write it down for her, she had no other choice.

She didn't want to tell Oedius she needed a scribe either. Either Oedius wouldn't understand what that meant, and she would have caused a whole scene over nothing, wasting her own time, or Oedius would find one of her friends to help, putting them in this very position she wanted to get herself out of.

She thought she had only nodded off for a moment again, but when she woke up, her head was on her work table and though she didn't feel rested, she wasn't as tired as before. She looked around, now completely baffled on the time. She reached for the machine as the door opened.

"Is it ready?" Oedius asked.

"I haven't figured out time manipulation," Sarah shook her head.

"Try this," Oedius said and tossed her a Power Star. Sarah found herself a bit more awake as she looked at it.

"How did you…?"

"I'm not completely useless," Oedius growled. "The Power from your pink Star was all I needed."

"Can I get that back?" Sarah asked, but Oedius didn't even entertain the question. She looked to the machine, demanding Sarah get it started. The pink Ranger sighed as she placed the star in the machine and watched it come to life. "So it's a time machine now or…"

"You're going to program it," Oedius told her. "One year from now."

"In the future?" Sarah asked with a frown. When Oedius said she wanted a time machine, she imagined it was to go back in time, perhaps kill the Rangers before they were Rangers or even conquer Earth before humans evolved enough to take it over. Either way, Sarah wasn't expecting Oedius to want to go ahead.

"Of course, the future. Unlike that idiot Vrak, I'm actually going to do something useful with my attempt."

"If it didn't work for him, why do you think it'll work for you?"

"I'm no idiot," Oedius answered. Sarah had to agree. She hadn't met Vrak, so couldn't speak to his intelligence. Oedius, however, was anything but idiotic. In fact, she was so smart, she terrified the Rangers. Oedius continued, "Have this done in six hours."

"Can I get a clock or…" Oedius stepped out, not bothering to even listen to Sarah. "Alright… six hours. It'll go faster than you think if you just focus."

Sarah then looked to the door, "Hopefully, I'm not here at the end of six hours. Come on, guys, where are you?"


	5. One Lone Ranger

The alarm buzzed bright and early the following morning, but the Rangers were ready. None of them had slept well. They were worried for Sarah, and concerned that after twenty-four hours, no one had reached out. They had thought, hoped even, that whoever had her would have made some demands by now.

"It's Oedius," Mick told them. "Careful, Rangers."

They headed out, rushing into the city. All of them were hoping that this was Oedius making demands. At least then, the question of who had Sarah would be answered.

And if this wasn't it, Oedius picked a bad day to make her come-back.

The Rangers arrived downtown. The streets had cleared out to give the Rangers plenty of space to work, though the early morning also meant that most people were still at home. Oedius stood in the middle of the road, looking to the Rangers with a smirk.

"Good morning."

Kelly wanted to demand to know where Sarah was, but she stopped herself. If – and it was a bit if – Oedius didn't have her, it wouldn't be smart to let her know there was an issue.

"I see you're down one Ranger," Oedius pointed out.

"_Whether she has Sarah or not, we don't need the distraction,"_ Gia instructed them through their coms. _"She might have recovered, but this is the weakest she'll be from here on out. Take her down, no matter what."_

"Copy," Brody nodded. They drew their weapons, aiming them for Oedius. The fox laughed.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Rangers," she said.

"_Don't listen to her, just strike! NOW!"_

The Rangers were about to attack, but Oedius shook her head.

"If anything happens to me…"

"_Do it!"_

The Rangers had hesitated, but only because they believed Oedius was threatening Sarah. They knew she had people working for her. Just because Oedius was here with them, that didn't mean she couldn't hurt Sarah if the Rangers made a wrong move. Gia continued to shout in their ear, making it difficult to focus.

Until Oedius finished her thought, "Ciara? Is that her name?"

"_STOP!"_ Gia shouted, and it sounded like that was as loudly as she could. She remembered the night Sarah disappeared. She remembered Jake mentioning seeing something in the backyard, then rushing to check on Ciara while Gia went to check on Joe.

"Who's Ciara?" Levi asked.

"_That's my daughter,"_ Gia growled.

"I'll kill her," Oedius finished. She reached into her robe and took out a machine. The Rangers lowered their weapons, but kept their guard up. They needed to know what they were facing, but if Oedius was threatening a child, they knew they couldn't appear threatening.

Suddenly, Mick was in their ears, _"She has Sarah."_

"What?" Kelly asked, and the Rangers moved to cover her.

"_That weapon… it's a time machine!" _Mick said. _"When Sarah and I went back in time, that's what we used. I destroyed it as soon as we got home but… that one's identical. Sarah must have designed it. Rangers, you can't let her use it. The repercussions could be catastrophic!"_

"What are you up to, Oedius?" Brody asked with a growl. "Thinking of doing a little traveling?"

"I plan on staying right here," Oedius shook her head. "But you can thank your pink friend. She's booked you all one way tickets to tomorrow."

"_Oh god! Rangers, get out of there!" _Gia shouted. _"I've been here before! This is how I died!"_

"What?"

"_I'll fucking explain later, just run!" _Gia shouted and the Rangers felt they had to listen. Gia rarely lost her temper, but right now it seemed like she was going mad. They turned to retreat, but Oedius was just a little too quick.

-Ninja-Steel-

At Ninja Ops, it happened in slow-motion on the screen. The Rangers turned to run, but Oedius turned on the time machine. It was as if a bomb went off as the energy was blasted out from the device.

At the same time, Mick heard Serena and Gia cry out and grip their heads before they suddenly dropped to the ground. He looked to the screen, and the Rangers were gone.

"What's happening?" RedBot asked and as he searched the screen and the monitors for answers, Mick went to tend to the two Rangers by his side.

"I've done it!" she cried out happily, then looked straight into a buzzcam. No more Rangers! They're gone! I win."

"No more Rangers?" RedBot asked. He looked to Mick, who was frantically searching for a pulse from Gia or Serena.

"They're… they're dead." Mick looked up, shocked. He couldn't believe it.

-Ninja-Steel-

While Oedius was out, Sarah had finally been granted a small measure of freedom. Badonna had cuffed her and dragged her out to the viewing room so she could watch the fight.

It wasn't so much a fight as Oedius completely taking the Rangers by surprise. She used the time machine and they disappeared. With them, Sarah's hope for rescue almost completely disappeared. She thought she still had Gia and Serena, who she trusted would do everything they could to track her down, but then Badonna pointed to a different screen.

"It worked!" she said to Oedius through a communicator. "There is no sign of Ranger activity anywhere on Earth."

"What?" Sarah asked. She turned to Badonna. "You took their powers?"

"Better," Badonna smirked. "We took their lives! You are the only surviving Ranger."

"What? How?" Sarah asked. She looked to the screen again, then to Badonna. "What… you can't have…"

"Dead," Badonna smirked. "All dead, thanks to your Power Star."

"That was a time machine!" Sarah shouted. "It can't kill! It… it…"

"For the next year, there are no Rangers left on Earth," Badonna explained. "But for now, you're the only one left."

"I… I… no," Sarah shook her head. "Oedius wants the Power Stars. She… if… if my friends are a year into the future… their stars are with them and… it doesn't… that doesn't make sense!"

"Oedius will have complete control of the planet by the time they return," Badonna smirked. "And when they do, they'll be powerless to stop her. She'll literally be able to pluck their Power Stars from them. She'll be unstoppable."


	6. The Future

This was nothing like what they were used to. It was nothing they ever expected to see.

"It's got to be the time machine," Levi said as he looked around. He could only assume he was in Summer Cove, but he wasn't sure. The city looked nothing like he remembered. There was just a big castle, surrounded by small homes and shops, in the middle of a wasteland.

"Looks… medieval," Kelly said. "Do we know if we went forwards or backwards?"

A ship flew over the city, then landed in the castle. Preston turned to Kelly.

"Forwards."

"Future. This would be cool, if it weren't totally inconvenient."

"Why would Oedius send us forward?" Calvin asked. Hayley pointed around.

"Clearly, once she got rid of us, there wasn't much standing in the way."

"Every other Ranger?" Calvin asked. "We can't possibly have been the only ones who could have stopped her… could we?"

"PST!" the Rangers heard a voice. "Rangers!"

They looked around, "Uh… did someone come with us?"

"Over here!" the voice spoke again. They turned around and suddenly, the rock that was behind them transformed into Mick. He looked to the Rangers, proudly and longingly, before taking them all in a tight hug. "I missed you all!"

"Mick, what happened?" Brody asked. He looked to his friend. "Where are we? What…"

"Not now," Mick shook his head. He glanced around then started to run. "Follow me!"

"Wait," Kelly called out. She looked to the ground. The wasteland was littered with old debris, stones and pebbles, making the ground hard to walk on. For her chair, it was nearly impossible to get around. She tried to use Sarah's hover upgrade, but it didn't work.

"There's no power," Mick told her.

"I got you," Levi said. He helped Kelly onto his back then carried her as they followed Mick. He led the Rangers to what looked like a dirty, forgotten lake.

"You'll need to swim." It was all he said before he jumped in, then never emerged. Brody followed, and Preston was right behind him. Calvin took Hayley's hand before they jumped.

"Hang on tight," Levi instructed Kelly, who nodded. They took the plunge and followed the others to the bottom of the lake and into an underwater cave. Just as Levi felt himself starting to run out of breath, there appeared to be an opening at the top. He broke the surface and gasped for air. He then looked to Kelly over his shoulder. "You good?"

"Not doing that again," she answered.

They swam to shore. It was still below ground. Levi assumed they were in an underwater cave. Looking around, it appeared Mick had made the cave his home. There were torches to provide light, a blanket and the room was littered with sheets of paper. Levi looked down at one and saw it was full of calculations.

"We're safe to talk here," Mick informed the Rangers. "I'm sure you have so many questions, but I can answer a few now. When Oedius shot you, she sent you a year into the future. At the same time, something happened to all the other Rangers. I can't quite figure out how she did it but… they all just… dropped dead."

"What?"

"I've been trying to figure it out," Mick said and pointed to the papers that littered his new home. "If there's a way to reverse it… how to stop her… what I can do… but… Oedius… she thought this through. Every Ranger who's ever existed is gone."

"But us?" Preston asked.

"She wants your stars."

"Why not just kill us too?"

"Your Power Stars are connected to you. Without that bond, they're powerless," Mick answered. "It's why Galvanax could never pull them from the Prism on his ship. Oedius must have known that, and she's created a timeline where she'll easily be able to take your stars from you. The whole city works for her. As soon as anyone sees you, they're supposed to take you to Oedius."

"But they wouldn't, right?" Hayley asked. "I mean, we're back. We can stop this…"

"I don't think you understand the damage Oedius has caused," Mick said. "Everyone who's defied her is dead. Anyone who chose not to follow her is dead. The people who did submit are barely hanging onto life. Oedius has promised great richest to anyone who turns you in alive. Imagine what you'd do for a pizza after training, and multiply that feeling by about a year."

"So, don't go outside," Kelly nodded. "No problem there. I can't move anyway, so…"

"What about Sarah?" Preston asked. "What happened to her? If Oedius needs us alive then…"

"I… I haven't found her," Mick shook his head. "I haven't seen her since the day she disappeared. Oedius has kept her well hidden."

"But alive?" Levi asked. "If she wants the Stars and their powerless if we're dead then… Sarah's alive?"

"I… I can't promise that, Rangers," Mick shrugged. "I'm guessing but… I don't know."

"So, we go back in time and stop this happening," Hayley reasoned. "Mick, you built a time machine with Sarah. Do you have one we could use?"

"I'd have gone back to stop this if I did," Mick shook his head. "I'm sorry Rangers but… the only working time machine is in the castle."

"Out there? Where we're wanted?" Brody asked.

"You want us to go into the city, where everyone's looking for us, and then head into the castle where Oedius is probably waiting for us to show up?" Preston frowned. "Is that… our best choice?"

"No," Mick shook his head. "Which is why you won't do it."

"We're just… going to live like this?" Calvin frowned. "In hiding? While the city is under Oedius' rule."

"The planet," Mick corrected Calvin. "She's projecting it'll be the whole galaxy by next year."

"We have to do something," Calvin said. "We're… we're the Power Rangers."

"Which is exactly why everyone is looking for us," Levi frowned. "If we go out there… we're basically turkeys before Thanksgiving."

"You said there's no power," Preston said. Mick nodded his head.

"None. It's all in the castle. RedBot hasn't been able to charge up his batteries since Oedius took over. He's been offline for almost the whole year."

"What about magic?" Preston asked. "If I can turn us all invisible, we can at least get inside the castle unnoticed."

"Worth a shot," Brody nodded. Preston took a deep breath. Magic was a lot of work. It wasn't just a simply flick of the wrist and whatever he wanted to have happen, happened. It needed a lot of focus and energy just to get the spell right. To hold it, long enough to get the Rangers through the city, would likely completely tire him out.

His first spell teleported the Rangers, minus Kelly, back to the surface. Compared to what he had to do, that was easy enough.

"Did you do it?" Hayley asked and looked to her hands, unsure if she would be able to see herself once she was invisible.

"I'm trying," Preston frowned. Suddenly, the Rangers felt a little different and they watched as the others disappeared. "Uh… okay well, we're invisible."

"Where is everyone?" Calvin asked.

"Doesn't matter. Just head for the gates," Brody said.

"How will we know when we're there?" Levi asked his brother.

"Everyone, hold hands," Calvin said. He had already found Hayley's hand – at least, Hayley had been next to him, so he assumed it was her hand. He reached out, hoping to find another one. When he felt someone's hand touch him, he looked around. "Okay, does everyone have two hands?"

"If we all have two different hands, aren't we in a giant circle?" Hayley asked.

"I'll let go of one hand," Brody said. "Everyone, follow me. Don't let go of your hands."

"We're off to a great start," Levi muttered.


	7. Prison Break

While getting into the castle hadn't been easy, Calvin had a feeling this was going to be the easiest thing they did in the future.

Slipping through a city, without bumping into anyone or making noise had proven to be a challenge, particularly since they were invisible, and no one knew to clear a path for them. The Rangers had inevitably taken the long way to the castle. However, they were finally there. Brody led them to what appeared to be an isolated corner and Preston dropped the invisibility spell. As he panted heavily, Calvin put a hand on his back.

"You did awesome."

"Let's not do that again," Preston said.

"We'll have to get back to Mick," Brody reminded him.

"Do you?" Preston challenged. "I mean, if we go back to the past and stop all this, it won't really matter if we see Mick or not."

"We'll play it by ear," Levi reasoned. The Rangers weren't sure of anything now, except that Madam Oedius had the only machine capable of taking them home. Unfortunately, as the Rangers looked around the halls of the castle, they were quick to realize they didn't know their way around at all. Finding the time machine would mean searching every inch of the castle. From what they had seen of it, the castle was huge.

"Should we split up?" Hayley asked. She didn't want to leave the other Rangers. Without any kind of power, there would be no way for them to communicate. If anything happened, it would be impossible for the others to know about it in time to help.

However, the castle was so big, if they didn't split up, not only would it take too long to find the time machine, they had a bigger risk of all being caught. A big group moving through the castle, especially when they were who everyone was looking for, was difficult to blend in.

"We'll stay together," Brody decided. It was for the best. At least if they were caught, they would all still be together. It was bad enough they had to leave Mick and Kelly behind. "We should start from the bottom and move up."

"The bottom?" Preston asked. "Of the castle? Where the dungeons are?"

"We don't know there are dungeons," Brody said.

"It's Oedius, there are dungeons," Preston concluded.

"It could be where Sarah is hiding," Levi said. "If she's here, I doubt Madam Oedius would just let her walk around."

"Worth a shot," Calvin agreed. He poked his head around the first corner, peeking to make sure that the Rangers had the all clear to move. He waved to the Rangers to signal it was time to go and they raced to the next corner, moving as quickly and as quietly as they could.

They were lucky enough to find stairs leading down shortly after beginning their search. The bottom of the stairs was dark as there was little to light them up. It smelled terribly of sweat, urine and… death? The Rangers didn't want to think about it. However, knowing how cruel Oedius could be, if she did have prisoners, it was likely she didn't care if they lived or died.

"This is… deeply depressing," Hayley whispered as she pulled in close to Calvin. She couldn't imagine anyone having to come down here, even just for a few minutes. As they walked by a cell, it was confirmed that Oedius did keep people there. At the back of the first cell was a man. He was sitting on the back wall, barely able to hold himself up. He hardly moved to look to the Rangers as they walked by, and whether he was concerned about the visitors or not, the Rangers would never know. His face didn't change.

"I don't think she would keep the time machine here," Brody said. "It's too valuable to her."

"But Sarah…"

"We'll keep looking," Brody promised Preston. It wasn't easy to find their way around. The dim lighting made it hard to tell if the darkness at the end of the hall was the end or if they could keep going. Slowly, the Rangers moved their way through the prison, keeping an ear out for any strange noises, or the sound of someone coming, and they were looking into each cell.

None of the prisoners looked well. In fact, they all appeared close to death, if they weren't dead already. Brody was starting to hope that they didn't find Sarah down here, as it wasn't likely they were going to find her in a good way.

The Rangers thought they reached the end. There was a wall right in front of them and nowhere else to turn. Brody breathed out a sigh of relief, thinking at least they hadn't found Sarah and she wasn't in a bad way. But then Preston called for everyone to look at the wall.

"It's a door," he said and pushed. The door was heavy. He couldn't open it by himself, but he did feel it move. Levi pushed with him and they managed to open it just enough that they could slip inside.

The room on the other side of the door was about as well lit as the rest of the prison – maybe a little more. Still, it was rather dark. The Rangers looked around and this cell wasn't much different from the others. There were no windows and no beds. There was a bucket in the corner, but the smell coming from it was revolting. It clearly wasn't there to provide drinking water.

In another corner, someone lay with their back to the Rangers. A thin and torn old blanket was on top of them. There was no pillow to support their head and they were laying directly on the cold, hard ground. Right next to them was a plate with a rotten… fruit – Brody couldn't tell what it once was. A molded half-loaf of bread, and an empty pitcher of water.

He signalled to the others to wait as he slowly approached the person. He could see their ribs moving as they breathed, indicating that they were still alive, but he had no idea who this was, or if they would be friendly.

"Careful, Brody," Levi told him, but Brody held his hand up, asking him to stay quiet. As he approached the person he knelt. Very gently he placed a hand on their shoulder.

It was as if he woke the dead. The person jumped up, turned around and looked to Brody in panic. Brody didn't know whether to smile or if his heart should break when he saw her.

"Sarah?"

She dove into his arms, holding him tight. Brody hugged her close and assuming she recognized him, he waved for the other Rangers to come closer. Brody let go of Sarah so the others could have a look. Preston came right next to him and Sarah moved into his arms. The blue Ranger held her close, gently, but Sarah gripped him tight.

"I thought you left me," she whispered. Preston shook his head. She was his best friend. He would never leave her behind.

"We're gonna get you out," he said. It wasn't what they had come for. They needed to find the time machine, and dragging Sarah around the castle with them might only slow them down, but he knew he couldn't leave her here. No one seemed to protest, though. They all had the same thought.

"Has it really only been a year?" Sarah asked. "You… you just got here… right?"

"Not even a day ago," Preston assured her. "We came right for the castle, first thing. We wanted to find you."

It wasn't a complete lie. After Mick told them what had happened and what they needed to do, they had come to the castle. They had always intended on helping Sarah, if they could find her. But their goal had been the time machine. It was only luck that Brody wanted to start exactly where Oedius was keeping Sarah.

Suddenly, Sarah stiffened up. Preston worried she was having a seizure, certain that in these conditions, she was very likely to have them. He pulled away, but Sarah was looking at him, completely focused on him.

"You have to leave," she said. She pushed him away. "If it's been exactly a year, she'll know you're here."

"We have to find the time machine," Preston told her. He started to get to his feet. He tried to help Sarah up, but she refused and looked to the door in a panic. Hayley was holding it propped open, so they wouldn't all be trapped inside. That was dangerous. If anyone came down, just to check up on things, they would see the door open. They would tell Oedius the Rangers had arrived.

"She doesn't keep it here," Sarah said. She looked to Preston and begged, "Please, just go!"

"It's not here?"

"GO!" Sarah shouted and with the little strength she had, she shoved Preston. He stumbled backwards. She wasn't strong enough to knock him over, but he knew what she meant. He refused, though, shaking his head. He offered her his hand.

"Not without you."

"She'll know," Sarah said. "I won't tell her you were here, I promise. Just, please, go!"

Preston shook his head, but he didn't know what else he could do. He didn't care that the time machine would take them back to the present. He didn't care that once that happened, Sarah would never have to suffer like this. He wanted to help her and he was sure the others did too.

At least, he knew for sure Calvin wanted to help. The yellow Ranger made his way over, then grabbed Sarah and threw her over his shoulder.

"Upsy-daisy," he said. Sarah smacked him on the back and demanded he put her down, but Calvin argued.

"You're coming with us."

"This is kidnapping!" she screamed. "Let me go! I want to stay!"

"Can you shut her up?" Calvin asked Preston. He nodded his head. He didn't like to use magic that could hurt his friends, but he knew in this case, silencing Sarah was for the best. His magic took away her voice, so though Sarah could try to scream, nothing could be heard.

"Search the castle?" Levi asked as he turned to Brody. "Or take her back?"

"She says the time machine isn't here," Brody said. He looked to Sarah, who realized yelling was futile and looked to her friends in annoyance. "We can go back, get a little more information, and figure things out from there."

"Sounds good," Levi nodded. "Preston, any chance you can just… zap us back?"

"I'm pretty wiped," Preston sighed. "I could try… but there's a chance things could go horribly wrong."

"We'll sneak out like we snuck in," Calvin said. "We did it once. At least this time, if we're spotted, we just know to run a little faster."


	8. A Night In The Wastelands

Getting out of the castle hadn't been easy. Not wanting to be seen by anyone, the Rangers had to find every detour possible. They couldn't take any of the shorter or more common routes, and anytime they thought they heard someone coming, they had to hide until they were sure they were alone.

Sneaking out of the city proved just as challenging. By the time they made it to the wastelands, it was getting very dark. Walking home wouldn't be safe, and the Rangers already weren't completely sure where they were going. To avoid getting lost, they decided to call it a day and camp out for the night.

Brody was sure he remembered how to start a fire with nothing, but he doubted that would be a wise choice. The wastelands were barren, and he feared that any sign of life would give Oedius a reason to hunt them down. Fortunately, the moon was full, so the Rangers weren't completely bathed in darkness. However, the night was cold. That didn't seem to bother Sarah, though. She had fallen asleep shortly after leaving the castle and had yet to wake. Calvin had checked to make sure she wasn't dead on the way home. Brody assumed that after a year captive, she likely didn't have enough energy to be awake for long periods of time – not to mention a reason to stay awake.

Levi and Preston had gone in search of something to eat. After nearly a day without food, everyone was rather hungry. The odds of finding anything to eat were slim, but since they had found Sarah so quickly, Levi suggested that maybe luck was on their side.

They were gone a while. Hayley started to worry that maybe they had gotten themselves lost. She was distracted from her thoughts when Sarah stirred and lifted her head from Hayley's lap. Groggy, she rubbed her eyes and had to remind herself she wasn't trapped in her cell anymore.

"How are you feeling?" Hayley asked her.

"You don't want the answer to that," Sarah muttered.

"Were you really trapped down there for a year?" Calvin asked her.

"About. Once Oedius sent you guys here, and every other Ranger died, she had no use for me except to keep me alive. She built the prison, so I couldn't get away, and then the castle on top."

Calvin couldn't imagine a life like that: trapped in one room, with no human contact for a little less than a year? He was sure he would have gone mad, or even attempted to kill himself. He had no idea how Sarah had done it.

"I knew you'd come back," Sarah said. "Oedius had me program the machine. I knew exactly when you would show up. But without a clock or calendar or any way to tell the time or day… I didn't know if I had missed it, or if she caught you, or…"

"If you'd ever get out?" Brody asked. Sarah nodded her head. He reached out and took her hand. "We're here now. We've got you."

"And we'll find a way home," Hayley promised. "We'll keep this, all of this, from happening."

"Speaking of," Calvin said. "You mentioned back in that hell hole that Oedius didn't keep her time machine in the castle. Do you know where she kept it?"

"She didn't tell me," Sarah sighed. "Just that she had moved it so that when you did come, you'd have to search the whole place to find it. That would give her more time to find you. I think she was sure you would start upstairs."

"I considered it," Brody said. "But the castle looked several stories tall. Just getting upstairs would have taken too much time and we wouldn't have even been able to start looking. The basement felt like it was a better place to start. At least we could rule out some rooms."

"I'm grateful," Sarah said. "When we get to wherever you guys are going, I can build another time machine."

"You can?"

"With the right parts," Sarah nodded. "It's too dangerous to go looking for the time machine. It's so heavily guarded."

"As long as we get home."

"Trust me, there's nothing I want more," Sarah said, then looked into the distance as Preston and Levi returned from their forage. The boys had a glum look on their face and as they sat with the rest of the group, they showed the handful of berries that they managed to find.

"Nothing grows here," Levi said. "There was just one bush that barely had anything on it. It's not enough but… any takers?"

Everyone was hungry. The Rangers hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, and going to and from the castle had taken a lot of their strength. They all wanted to eat, even such a small amount.

But despite their hunger, they all refused. Levi offered the berries around the circle, surprised no one was taking them. Then he offered everything to Sarah. She looked to the berries, then her friends.

"We can share," she said. Calvin was the first to shake his head.

"I had a really big breakfast," he told her. "I'm actually not that hungry."

"I ate with Calvin," Hayley said.

"I let the chef make me breakfast this morning," Preston said. "He doesn't make a lot, but it's always so filling. I'm not hungry at all."

"I don't think my breakfast is sitting well," Brody said.

Sarah knew they were lying. Calvin never stopped eating and she was sure that her friends hadn't eaten since they arrived. Only the castle had a reserve of food and it wasn't like they had raided the kitchen while they were there.

But her stomach grumbled. She couldn't remember the last time she had a bite of anything to eat, never mind fresh fruit. Knowing her friends were going to refuse to eat no matter what she said, and not wanting any food to go to waste, Sarah thanked them and took all the berries for herself.

"Levi and I can take first watch," Brody said to his team. "We should all try to get a bit of sleep. Mick shouldn't be too far, but we'll want to move quickly."

"Mick? He's okay?" Sarah asked. Brody nodded.

"He'll be happy to see you. Kelly too."

"Kelly's here?"

"We left her with Mick. Figured it was too much for her to get around in her chair," Levi smiled.

"She's really here?" Sarah asked. Her eyes started to water.

"She was hit with the time machine, just like us," Brody answered with a smile. "She was worried sick when we realized you were gone. She'll be glad to see you're… uh… back."

Sarah nodded her head and wiped her eyes. She didn't know why she was crying, but she did know she had missed Kelly immensely over the last year. While she had hoped that her friends would come and save her, there had always been a part of her that thought she would never see them, or Kelly, again.

"First thing in the morning," Hayley promised as she wrapped her arms around Sarah. "We'll take you back to see her. I promise."

"Just get some sleep, alright?" Calvin told her. Sarah nodded her head again and Hayley let her rest her head on her lap again. Trusting her friends, Sarah let herself fall asleep comfortably for the first time in over a year.


	9. Another Lucky Break

Kelly didn't get a wink of sleep that night. Her friends had left hours before for the castle in search of the time machine that would take them back home. While she understood why they left her behind, she really hated it. She had no way of communicating with them and so no way to tell if they had been successful, if they were caught, or if they were still looking.

Mick tried to do what he could to comfort her. He brought her some of the food that he had farmed for himself, and while it wasn't much, it did keep something in her stomach. When it was time to sleep, he turned himself into a soft sleeping bag, so she could be a little bit more comfortable.

None of it helped. Kelly worried for her friends but more than that, she was worried for Sarah. For a year her girlfriend had to live knowing that her friends were gone and every other Ranger on the planet was dead. For years she either had to live as a prisoner of Oedius, or alone in the wastelands.

Kelly wasn't sure when morning came, but Mick did wake. She rolled off him, so he could transform back into his regular body. Mick didn't get up right away and instead sat next to Kelly, staying at eye level so they would both be a little more comfortable.

"They aren't back yet?" he asked. Kelly wanted to be angry with him for having fallen asleep, but she could see the stress in his eyes. He had spent a year by himself with nothing to do but wait for his Rangers and worry for Sarah and the state of the world. She had to think that he didn't let himself sleep, but that his body was so tired, so worn down, that he had ended up just falling asleep.

"Not yet."

"Are you hungry?"

"Not really," Kelly answered. She looked to the pool of water, where she knew the Rangers would come through if they did come home. Then she turned to Mick, "Can we go see if they're coming?"

"It's better to stay down here," Mick said. "They'll be on their way if they can, but if Oedius did find them, she'll be looking for you."

"My Power Star isn't like the others."

"But it's still a threat to her," Mick reminded her. "Look what she managed to do with just one Star."

"I guess," Kelly nodded. It was at that point that bubbles came to the surface of the water. Kelly looked hopeful and Mick jumped up to see what was happening. Brody popped his head out, with Preston right behind him.

"You're back!" Kelly called out and if she could, she would be jumping for joy. Right now, she didn't care about the time machine. She was just glad to see her friends were safe. She was glad they hadn't left her and Mick alone.

Levi emerged as Brody and Preston were pulling themselves out of the lake. Kelly loved to see them, and was more than happy just to have the three of them back, but she had five friends who had gone to the castle. Seconds felt like minutes, but eventually Hayley broke the surface.

Kelly didn't have time to be grateful before she was confused. Hayley surfaced just long enough to gasp for air, then dove under again. Kelly worried, thinking Hayley was in trouble, but Levi came to her side.

"Watch," he said, and he smiled. It comforted Kelly a bit, but also gave her a lot of questions. Finally, Hayley broke the surface again, this time with Calvin and…

"Sarah!" she gripped tightly to Levi's arm, desperately wishing that she could jump up, run over and take her girlfriend into her arms. But she could only sit and watch as Calvin and Hayley helped to pull Sarah out of the water and then walked her over.

Kelly burst into tears. Even before they had been sent to this future, she had been worried for Sarah. After arriving here, and knowing Sarah had been missing for a year, Kelly was surprised she hadn't gone out of her mind. And while she was glad to see that Sarah was alive, her girlfriend's state caused a whole new reason to panic.

But Sarah was alive. Her friends had brought her home. Kelly hugged her tight and felt Sarah do the same. Neither wanted to let go, and for a while at least, they didn't have to.

"You found her?" Mick asked the Rangers, who were doing their best to get as dry as they could without towels or a change of clothes.

"We got really lucky," Brody answered. "We found her, got her out, and she even told us the time machine isn't in the castle."

"It's not?" Mick frowned. "But… where else would she keep it?"

"No idea," Levi said. "But at least we weren't there wasting our time."

"But without a time machine…"

"I can make one," Sarah said and looked to Mick. "We did it once before…"

"I have nothing that I can use to make one," Mick told her. "It'll take too long."

"We have to get the time machine," Hayley stated. She was confident that with the right parts, Sarah and Mick could create a new one of their own and use it, if Mick didn't have the parts, it would take way too long. Oedius, by now, would be aware that the Rangers were back. Hayley had to think that as smart as she was, she would know the time the Rangers were to appear. She was likely looking for them right now, and the longer they stayed, the more likely it was that she would find them.

"I don't know where it is," Sarah growled. She had already told her friends this. She had no idea where Oedius kept the time machine, and if they went looking for it, they could be found. She didn't want to risk them being caught and suffering the same fate as her. They were the ones who could prevent all this from happening.

"We can find it," Kelly assured her. Sarah shook her head.

"It'll be guarded. Oedius…"

"We have to find it," Brody said. "We'll be careful, but we do have to try."

He looked to his friends. They were tired, but they were all willing to look. They gave him a nod to say they were ready.

"You're not leaving me behind again," Kelly shook her head. "I know… I know I can't walk. I know it'll slow you down but not knowing if you guys were safe was horrible."

Mick smiled and suddenly he turned himself into what looked like a wheelchair, but the wheels were bigger, as if they were for off-roading.

"You can ride me."

"Ew, but thanks," Kelly smiled. Calvin and Levi helped her into the chair. The Rangers were about to jump back into the water when they saw Sarah getting up. Brody turned to her.

"You've been through enough, Sarah. You can stay if…"

"I'm not staying here by myself," Sarah shook her head. "Please, don't leave me by myself."

Brody looked around at his friends. Sarah was tired, she was hurt, and she could barely get anywhere by herself. He loved her and wanted her help, but right now she was more of a hinderance than a help.

But she begged not to be alone and Brody remembered how they found her. She had been trapped in a cell by herself, with no way of contacting anyone. The rotted fruit and molded bread signalled that it had been a while since anyone had seen her to even just drop off something to eat.

"Upsy-daisy?" Calvin suggested. Sarah glared at him.

"Not over the shoulder."

"On my back," he smiled. He knelt and let Sarah hop up on his back, then lifted her. In his time, he had already easily been able to lift Sarah. She was small and compared to the others, didn't weigh all that much. Now that she had spent a year starved, she was almost weightless. While he was sure he would need a break eventually, he was also sure he could make it quite far, and move rather quickly with her on his back.

"We can trade off when you're tired," Levi said. Calvin thanked him and once again the Rangers all hopped into the water. When they surfaced outside, they looked around to make sure everything was clear before they came out of the water. It seemed for now, Oedius hadn't thought to look for them in the wastelands.

"She bragged about not keeping it somewhere obvious," Sarah said. "She was so sure you would search the castle for it, so it can't be there."

"Is there anywhere else she would put it?" Kelly asked.

"She really didn't talk to me that much," Sarah shook her head. "And I didn't get the chance to do much explor…"

"PST!" they heard someone call. The Rangers all stopped and looked around. Had someone seen them? "Over here!"

"Déjà vu," Kelly muttered.

From behind some rocks, a man appeared. The Rangers looked to him, then each other, hoping someone might recognize him. When they saw everyone else looked as confused as they felt, they frowned.

"Who are you?"

"James," the man said as he placed his hand on his chest. Then he looked down as two kids stepped into view. The oldest – a boy – appeared to be around seven and the girl looked to be just a couple years younger. Five, maybe. "This is Terran and Sammie."

"Smith?" Sarah asked. Kelly looked to her girlfriend.

"You know them?"

"Serena's husband and kids," Sarah said. "They were James, Terran and Sammie."

"She's right," James said, then he looked around. "Looks like we're the only ones out here."

"You knew my mom?" Terran asked. James put his hand on his shoulder.

"These are the Power Rangers," he told him. "You remember, mommy helped them. They were friends."

"How did you know we would be out here?" Brody asked.

"I didn't," James said. "But we've been hiding out not too far from here. We were just scavenging when we saw you come out. The wheelchair gave it away."

"Glad I could help."

"You're looking for a time machine?" James asked. Levi nodded his head.

"Oedius used it to send us here. We think if we use it to take us back, we can stop this from happening."

"Sounds like she's taking a play right out of Vrak's book."

"She did mention Vrak," Sarah nodded. "She said she would do it better than he did."

"Who's Vrak?" Preston asked.

"Gia's biggest rival," James said. "I wasn't there when it all happened. I just heard the story through Serena but apparently, Vrak tried this once. He sent Gia and her team four years into the future, where he had taken over. They used a time machine to get home too."

"So, our plan is proven," Brody said. "That's good."

"Good luck getting to it, though," James said. "It's heavily guarded."

"Do you know where it is?" Hayley asked.

James shook his head. "I don't. But when we used to live in the city, there was always one building where no one could enter."

"You think it's there?"

"I don't know," James shrugged. "But it's suicide for you to enter the city, so it doesn't matter."

"We can go invisible," Levi suggested, but Preston shook his head.

"I'm all magicked out," he said. "We'll just have to try and blend in."

"Or I could go," James offered. "No one's looking for me. No one cares what happens to me. I can see if I can get a peek, or some information. It could just be that that's where she's keeping the food, but no one's ever seen anything or anyone going in or out."

"We can't ask you to do that," Brody said. "If you get caught…"

"As long as you get home, it doesn't matter what happens to me," James said. "I married a Ranger. I knew what I signed up for when I made that commitment and I'm more than happy to honour them now."

"I don't…"

"Please," James begged. The Rangers knew they couldn't exactly argue with him. If this was a risk he was willing to take, they couldn't exactly stop him. And he was now the third person, after Sarah and Mick, to tell them that going into the city wouldn't be safe.

When they didn't protest, James gave a smile then he turned to his two kids. He knelt before Sammie and gentle grabbed her arms.

"I love you, baby girl. I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Don't go," she begged, but James shook his head.

"I have to. I have to help them. When I come back, everything's going to be better. I love you so much, Sammie. Do you know how much?"

"To the moon."

"And back," James nodded. He kissed her forehead then hugged her tight before he moved to Terran. He smiled at his boy.

"You be good, alright?" he said. "Take care of your sister. Stay with the Rangers?"

"Yes, dad."

"I'll come back as soon as I can," James promised. "I'll come back and then the Rangers, they'll make everything better."

"Be safe, okay?" Terran asked and James nodded his head.

"Of course. I'll be Super Safety Man."

"Dad," Terran chuckled.

"I'll be thinking of you, alright, Terran? I love you, so, so much."

"I love you too," Terran smiled. He jumped into his father's arms and hugged him tight. James kissed him on the top of the head, then took a deep breath. He looked to the Rangers.

"Please take care of them," he begged. While he had promised both his children that he would see them again, and soon, he knew the risks he was taking. Going into the city was already dangerous enough, even for a regular person like him. If anyone caught him sneaking around the building, trying to get a peek, or even worse, going inside, he knew he would never see his children again.

The Rangers all promised they would look after Terran and Sammie. James gave them both one last hug before he ventured off.


	10. Difficult Decisions

James wasn't a Power Ranger. That much was obvious because he wasn't dead. He had never been a Power Ranger, nor did he ever want to be. He had seen strain that it put on those in the suits. He knew the risks they took.

He was never jealous of the power they had. He never wanted the responsibility that came with it. He was happy being James Smith, regular guy. He didn't want to think about what colour he might be or what team he might find himself on.

He didn't understand why, even years after their responsibilities were over, Rangers let themselves get pulled back in. Serena had a hand in helping every team that had come after her own in some way. James understood she liked to help and she liked to make a difference, but she had a family of her own, and a career that would still help in changing the world for the better. He didn't understand why she sought out the colourful spandex.

But just because he didn't understand it, didn't mean he didn't know it was important, and that didn't mean that when he was needed, he wouldn't help. The Rangers did a lot of good work and while they were able to stop a lot of trouble, sometimes they needed a hand along the way.

He knew that going into the city was dangerous for them, but he knew they needed to find the time machine. Oedius wasn't likely to keep it out in the wastelands, where there was limited supervision, so the odds were good that it was still within city limits. It was suicide for the Rangers to walk in and James didn't know anyone else they could ask.

So, he had to do it. He had to take that risk.

He hadn't been to the city for several months now. He lived there with Terran and Sammie when Oedius first took over. While food rations were small, they were at least guaranteed a meal or two a week. More if they could somehow get their hands on something. And while Oedius' guards were brutal, they did do an effective job of keeping order in the city. James feared for his life and the life of his kids, but when it came to theft, drugs, gun violence or random acts of violence, he knew not to worry. He only feared upsetting Oedius and giving her a reason to lash out at him.

Still, the city was no place to live. Oedius ruled with an iron fist and there was a lot that one could do that would upset her. Walking around the city was almost like walking on eggshells, and if there was just one word of a revolution, or if a guard suspected someone was thinking of hurting them or Oedius, the penalty was death.

James didn't want to raise his kids like that. He didn't want them to grow up believing that one person – monster or not – could ever control them. He didn't want them to think that they could never challenge authority, especially when the authority was wrong. The wastelands didn't have much in the way of food, but it was still possible to live beyond the city walls. At least out there, no one cared what he did, what he said or what he thought. He could raise his children the way he saw fit, and allowed them the opportunity to question how Oedius had taken over the planet.

Not much had changed now that he was back in the city. People were still depressed, begging each other for food. Parents were worried about their sick children and children were crying over their sick parents. James saw guards walking around, keeping the city under control and though he knew they wouldn't hurt him unless provoked, they still made him feel uneasy.

In the distance, he could see the building Oedius had made clear was off limits. It had two guards watching every point of entry all day and night. James knew he needed a way inside, but approaching it wouldn't be the way to go.

So, he turned down the street and knocked six times on the door of a house. There was some shuffling inside, but eventually, Rebecca opened it, then pulled him inside.

"Hungry?" she asked. He shook his head. Still, she pulled out some bread from her cupboards and offered it to him. "For Sammie and Terran. They must be big now."

James took it. At least this way, if he went home, he could give them a treat for being so brave.

He and Rebecca hadn't been friends before Oedius took control. He knew of her through Gia. She was Gia's partner and Troy's younger sister. She had also worked closely with the Rangers, but wasn't a Ranger herself. Unlike him, she had once served, but never bonded to the powers. She was the only person still alive who had once been a Ranger.

After Oedius took over, Rebecca had tried to lead a rebellion against her. Having served temporarily as a Ranger, and now being the highest ranked Silver Guardian, she felt it was her responsibility. James had tried to help, but Oedius wiped everyone out. Rebecca knew how to escape her wrath and James knew he needed to keep his kids safe. While they managed to survive, no one else with a badge, no one else who joined the cause, did.

It pulled James and Rebecca close, at least while he still lived in the city. He knew he could trust her.

"The Rangers are back," he said. Rebecca smiled.

"That's good news."

"They need the time machine."

Her face fell. She shook her head. "They're screwed."

"You don't know where it is?"

"My guess is as good as yours," Rebecca told him. "That's why you're back, right? The building?"

"It's our best shot."

"Unless it's actually in the castle," Rebecca said. "I wouldn't put it past Oedius to keep it exactly where she says it's not."

"The building is much easier to check than the whole castle. It's a better place to start," James reasoned. "But… someone's got to be a distraction."

"No one else is dying on my watch…" Rebecca said. She knew what James was asking. He didn't tell her he needed a distraction. He suggested that one was needed. He would never ask her to do something so dangerous and so was offering to do it himself.

"You're perfect for it," James said. "I've never seen any lights coming from the building and we know there's no power in the city. No one goes inside so it's stupid to think that even if the time machine was there, I could see it."

"So, send the blind chick in?" it did make sense, and Rebecca was happy to help, but she didn't want James serving as a distraction. The risk was too high that he would be caught and killed on the spot.

"Yes?"

"You have kids. I don't."

James shook his head. This was his plan. No way would he let Rebecca die.

"Come on," Rebecca said when James started to argue. "I died last time the Rangers travelled to the future. I'm okay."

"If this goes south…"

"I don't want to live if this goes south," Rebecca told him. "James, I'm only alive because I wanted to be able to help when the Rangers showed up. Now that they're here, I'll do anything I need, even die, to help them get back."

"If I can't see what's inside the building anyway, it's all for nothing," James said. "Please, Rebecca. I'll distract them, you go in. I promise, when you get out, I'll be right behind you."

"I won't raise your kids if you aren't," Rebecca told him. "And if I see them, I'll tell them what an idiot you were."

"I'm confident it won't come to that," James said. "Will you do it?"

"Fine," Rebecca said. "But you'll need protection. Have you ever shot a gun before?"

"No."

"A Ranger blaster?"

"Serena used a sword."

"Played video games?"

"Back in college."

"Okay, well, you point the gun at the monster and shoot. As long as you hit them, that should slow them down. Don't hit people, and most importantly, don't point the gun at something you don't want to shoot. No matter what."

"Got it."

-Ninja-Steel-

James' home wasn't much better than what Mick had found for himself, but since it was what Terran and Sammie were used to, the Rangers decided it was best to wait there.

Hayley, Brody and Levi kept the kids busy – distracted. Levi was teaching them some of his songs. It had been a while since they had heard music and so the kids were completely enthralled by it. Calvin tried to figure out what he could make with the food James had foraged that would fill everyone's stomachs, while Preston and Kelly worried for Sarah.

The pink Ranger was understandably tired and weak. She had been trapped in a prison for a little under a year. Her only socialization was with Oedius, when the monster decided to brag, or with the guard who brought her food. Those times were few and far between, so for the better part of a year, Sarah was completely alone. Not only that, but though Sarah knew the Rangers would appear in a year, she had no way to tell when that year was up. She didn't know if she was still waiting for the day, or if it had already happened. She had no idea if Oedius had imprisoned her friends, and she would live out the rest of her days in her cell, or if they were still coming for her.

The lack of food made her body weak. She had lost so much weight, she was barely more than skin and bones. She could hardly hold herself up, and couldn't stand for more than a few minutes without needing to catch her breath.

Her body was shutting down. It was slow, and it was agonizing, but it happened. Her friends hated to see her like this. They knew, once they had the time machine and they went home, Sarah would have no memory of what would happen to her. None of this would happen.

But there was the possibility that they failed. Kelly didn't want to imagine it, but she did.

She sat on the ground against a boulder. Sarah lay with her head in her lap – sleeping. Right now, it was all the Rangers could do for Sarah that was better than keeping her in the prison. Being with them meant Sarah could finally sleep soundly. She knew they would protect her. She knew when she woke up, she wouldn't be alone.

Kelly played with Sarah's hair, keeping her hands busy. Though Sarah was sleeping, and though she was no long in immediate danger, Kelly still worried for her. As she brushed her hand through Sarah's thinning hair, she saw pieces of it coming out. Kelly knew hair fell out all the time. She had a brush at home that was proof of that. But with every stroke, Sarah seemed to lose more and more. Eventually, Kelly had to stop.

"What does it say when people living in the wastelands eat better than the prisoner you're trying to keep alive?" Preston asked. Kelly shrugged.

"Clearly Oedius didn't think that through," she said. "If I were in her shoes, and knew that my power depended on Sarah staying alive, she'd be the healthiest of all of us right now."

"I guess she got what she wanted from the pink Star," Preston suggested. "Guess she just kept Sarah alive long enough for insurance."

"We need to get her Star back," Kelly said. "Not now. She's not strong enough to fight. In the present, I mean."

"We can't exactly storm the ship," Preston said. "Until Oedius makes a mistake…"

"There's got to be something we can do," Kelly said and looked down at Sarah. Oedius had cornered her on the street. Sarah couldn't fight back, because she didn't have her Star and that sent everything into motion. While one Ranger wasn't strong enough to stop Oedius, maybe Sarah having a Star could have prevented this. At least, Sarah might have been able to fight for herself long enough for the Rangers to realize she was in trouble and come help.

Suddenly, it occurred to Kelly. They didn't need to get Sarah's Star. They just needed to show up. They just needed to help.

"Preston, when we get the time machine, we can't go back to right after Oedius shoots us."

"But the timeline…"

"We need to go to when she takes Sarah."

"Kelly, we know Oedius has her…"

"So, we can't go after the Star, but we can go for Sarah?" Kelly asked. It was logic she understood. The Rangers still had six Power Stars in their possession and while they understood what Oedius could do with one, it didn't make sense to risk their six for one.

But a Star was a Star. Sarah was a person. A team, even short one, was disadvantaged enough. They would risk anything and everything to stay together.

But that wasn't enough. Kelly needed to stop this from happening at all.

"If we go back to before Oedius shot us, they'll be two of us around. That'll screw everything up."

"If we go back and stop Oedius from kidnapping Sarah, none of this will happen. We're part of the future now. We'll just… waste away. But at least Sarah will be safe."

"You don't know that," Preston shook his head. "Maybe we stop the initial kidnapping but one we change everything…"

"Preston, look at her!" Kelly shouted.

"This won't happen," Preston assured her. "We'll go back, we'll stop Oedius. We'll find Sarah."

"But…"

"Kelly, I promise," he said. Kelly didn't look convinced, but if Preston wasn't having doubts, she knew she wouldn't be able to convince the others. Instead, she looked down at Sarah and hugged her girlfriend close.


	11. With The Wind

It was night when James and Rebecca set out on their missions. James only needed to be a distraction. It didn't matter what he did or how well he could see. The moon wasn't full, but it was close enough so he could see at least what was right in front of him.

Rebecca didn't need the moon to see. She was blind and so would be assisted by her dolphin senses. They didn't rely on light either, so this was the perfect time for her.

She waited for James' signal. All he had to do was get two guards to leave their post long enough for her to slip in and out. She could hear him move across the ground, the pebbles and the dirt crunching under his feet. Everyone else was inside, asleep, so he was the only one she could hear.

"You!" she heard a guard shout and it triggered her dolphin senses. She could see the guards were facing James. "It's after curfew! Get to your quarters!"

"Make me," James answered. "I'm sick of this! I'm sick of living under Oedius' thumb!"

As soon as he said that, Rebecca heard the guards take out their blasters. They would shoot James on the spot, but he knew to start running. When he did, the guards went after him.

Now was the time to move. Rebecca wasn't sure what the other guards would do now that two of them were gone, and she didn't want to miss her window. So, she ran for the building, her footsteps triggering her senses enough, so she could see when she was close. It was a window she was climbing into so she opened it just enough to squeeze in and got inside. She then closed the window right behind her. If guards did arrive to cover, she didn't want them getting suspicious.

She had never been inside the building before. She had no idea how big it was or what was inside. Moving slowly, she tried only to make enough noise, so she could see where she was going. So far, nothing came to view. The room appeared to be empty.

"There's got to be something here," Rebecca said. She didn't know how long she would have, but she knew she had to search every inch of the building. She tapped on walls when she found them to help her see around the room. She stomped her feet every few minutes when there was no wall. Nothing appeared. There was nothing in the room.

"Come on," she spoke. That was when she saw it. It was very faint at first, but her dolphin senses picked up on something straight ahead. She stepped closer to it, speaking again. "Hello?"

It didn't matter what she said, just that there was noise. Her voice bounced off the object in front of her, lighting up the image in her mind. It didn't look like a time machine, but it seemed to be a pedestal with a roll of something on it. Certain this would be useful for the Rangers, she grabbed it.

"Great," she muttered. "Now I've lost my window."

There had to be a way out, though. Rebecca started to look. It was a while, but she eventually found a window. She couldn't be sure this was where she had come in, or if there were guards outside or now. She was so turned around. However, she knew she had to get out. This mission would be for nothing if she didn't break free.

She slipped out the window and heard a shout. Someone had seen her. Whether it was the guards or someone ratting her out, she didn't care. She bolted and used her footsteps and the sounds of their blasters to find her way to the meeting spot she and James had agreed to.

She was almost there, but she could hear the footsteps of the guards right behind her, and they were getting closer. The closer they got, the better their aim was. James called out for her and Rebecca knew what she needed to do. She threw the roll in her hand towards James, then turned around to face the guards. They grabbed her instantly while calling out to others to follow James. He just needed to make it out of the city and Rebecca was sure he would know how to hide.

They weren't that far.

The guards who grabbed her forced her to her knees. Rebecca didn't have time to beg for her life, or rub it in that this was the end for Oedius. They shot her as soon as they could and she dropped dead.

James caught the roll and opened it up. He couldn't quite tell what it was in the dark but he knew this had to be useful somehow. Then he heard the shot, and he knew he had to keep going. He ran, moving as quickly as his legs would carry him. While Rebecca had to rely on known paths to make her way through the city, James could take detours. As long as he could see that he was leaving, he knew he was headed the right way. He was sure he had lost a few of the guards coming after him, but some where agile enough to keep up.

Then he saw the border. He knew he was close. He knew he could make it. But just before he reached it, he was shot in the back. He fell forward and the paper that Rebecca had tossed him slipped from his hand. He watched the wind pick it up and blow it far away. "No!" he shouted. He knew he wouldn't get it to the Rangers. He knew he had failed.

The guards grabbed him, and though James was already bleeding out, they knew not to take their chances. Just like with Rebecca, they forced him on his knees and then shot him.

"What about the map?" one guard asked when James' dead body hit the ground. The other guard shrugged.

"Gone with the wind, I guess. No one's out there. No one will find it anyway."

"You're sure?"

"Humans are so fragile," the monster said. "They're barely surviving in the city. None of them could last more than a week out there."

"If you're sure," the other guard shrugged. "But if Oedius finds out, I'm throwing you under the bus."

"She won't find out."

-Ninja-Steel-

Calvin wouldn't brag about the meal he had created. He had done better with food he dug out from the back of his freezer and a microwave, but at least it was something.

He had no idea where James had found the amount of food that he had, but he assumed that the older man knew where plants would grow. Calvin managed to make what he called fine foraged foods and there was enough for everyone to have some of it. The kids wolfed it down, happy they got a chance to eat and the Rangers ate only enough so their stomachs wouldn't rumble anymore. The kids needed to eat more than they did.

Kelly barely took any bites. She had enough so she could say she ate, and then pushed what was left of her plate onto Sarah's. Everyone else did the same, pushing parts of their meal to Sarah's plate. It wouldn't do much to reverse what Oedius had done, but it would at least give her the strength to keep pushing.

When Sarah woke up and saw what was on her plate, she was surprised to hear it was all for her. The Rangers told her that James had plenty of food and that they all had the same amount. Sarah couldn't stop herself from wolfing it all down.

Calvin knew it was the hunger talking, but Sarah praised him, saying it was the best meal she had ever had.

"Really?" he whispered to Hayley. The white Ranger couldn't lie.

"I gagged a few times."

After dinner, the dark crept it. Terran had assured the Rangers that it was safe for them to build a fire and so Brody made a small one. It was just enough to keep the Rangers warm for the night, but still small enough that it wouldn't be seen from a distance. Levi then told the kids a story to help them fall asleep and smiled when, once they were down, he saw Terran had his arms wrapped around his little sister to help her feel safe with their father gone.

"Kids are cute," he said as he joined the others around the fire. It was then the wind picked up. The Rangers didn't think much of it, except that it brought the temperature down a few degrees. Hayley nestled in closer to Calvin to keep warm and Kelly made sure to hold Sarah tight.

"Do you think we can expect James back by morning?" Preston asked.

"What do we do if he isn't back?" Calvin asked. "How long do we wait before we go to plan B?"

"What is plan B?" Hayley asked him. Calvin shrugged.

"We go in ourselves… I guess," Brody answered. "Unless there's someone else hiding out here."

"Just us," Mick said. "I mean… as far as I know. I didn't know James was out here."

"So, we have to storm the castle," Levi reasoned. Sarah shook her head.

"If anything happens to you guys…"

"We can't stop this if we just sit here," Brody told her. "At some point, we have to try something."

Sarah wanted to protest, but she knew they were right. She knew sitting on their butts wouldn't help anything. At some point, they were going to have to take a risk. They were going to have to face Oedius.

She just hated to think what it might mean if they lost.

The Rangers were silent for the most part after that. They couldn't think of what to do if James didn't come home, and they couldn't sleep not knowing what might happen. By the time the sun started to poke out over the horizon, barely any words had been spoken. Until…

"What's that?" Preston asked. He was looking towards the city, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of movement, hoping James would be back soon. Instead of James, though, he saw something gliding through the air, swept up by the wind. Calvin saw it too and curious as to what it could be, he ran after it. The wind kept it from his hands, but Calvin was determined. Levi and Brody soon joined him as they tried to catch the paper drifting in the wind.

Eventually, the wind died down long enough for the paper to fall. It was just enough for Calvin to finally grab it in his hand. Brody and Levi were right behind him as they looked to see what it was.

"It's a map," Levi said. It looked like a map, but he couldn't read anything on it. It had to have been written in Oedius' native language – likely to keep anyone from using it against her, if it was worth anything to her.

But it had to be. Levi found it looked too much like the layout of the castle, at least from what he had seen of it. He recognized the prison in the basement.

"Mick?" Brody asked as Calvin brought the map over. Mick shook his head.

"I recognize the language but… I was abducted before I learned to read it," Mick said. "I can't decipher it."

"Can I try?" Sarah asked and the Rangers all shot her a strange look. Unless something had changed in her cell, and she knew it hadn't, she couldn't read English or Portuguese, never mind an alien language she had never seen before.

But Sarah remembered being on Galvanax's ship, the day they finally defeated him. She remembered seeing the writing on his computers and understanding it perfectly. Perhaps that would be the same with the map.

"Don't feel bad if you can't help," Brody told her. He presented the map to her. Sarah rubbed her tired eyes and then forced herself to focus. A bright smile appeared on her face when she saw that she could read.

"It's the castle," she confirmed. "Every room, what's in it, it's all there."

"You're sure?"

"That's my cell," Sarah said and pointed to what Levi had already recognized as the prisons in the basement. "It's got my name on it, my feeding schedule… god, even how long Oedius wanted to keep me alive."

"How long?" Kelly asked.

"Let's just say it's good you showed up when you did," Sarah frowned. Then she looked around. "It's got her throne room, her bedroom, the kitchen, her torture chamber."

"Torture chamber? That's what it says?" Hayley asked.

"Well, that's not exactly what is says but I did make a few trips there during the year," Sarah said. "Trust me, torture chamber is a lot more accurate."

"Sarah…"

"Oh my god! That lying bitch!" Sarah shouted and suddenly, all the life that had been drained out of her since before the Rangers had found her came back. She looked up, "I know where the time machine is."

"You… you do?"

"Where?"

"You'll never guess."


	12. In The Castle

"Can I just say this is the most ridiculous plan we've ever had," Hayley stated as she looked to Brody, Levi, Kelly and Mick. "Actually, ridiculous isn't the right word. Stupid."

"Sarah seems sure it would work." Brody shrugged.

"Sarah also thought dinner was the greatest thing she ever ate," Hayley frowned. "Forgive me for trusting her judgement."

"Shh, it's happening," Mick said, silencing the Rangers as they watched the guards run up to Preston and Calvin, who were dragging Sarah through the streets. Calvin looked over his shoulder and told Preston to hurry up, but the guards were quick to catch up to them. Calvin was ripped away from Preston and Sarah and forced to the ground. One guard held him down while the others did the same to Preston and Sarah.

"Looks like your Ranger friends showed up after all," the guard holding Sarah teased her as he pulled her up to her feet. "Oedius will be glad to see who we caught."

"Please… please don't," Sarah shook her head and begged them as they dragged her off. The others dragged Preston and Calvin behind her, bragging about how Oedius was going to reward them greatly and punish the Rangers severely.

"That hurt," Kelly muttered from her spot. She knew this was all going according to plan, but Sarah was either too good an actress, or she was genuinely dreading the next part of the plan. Either way, Kelly didn't like seeing her in pain.

However, their plan was working. Calvin and Preston breaking Sarah out of her prison had caused enough of a stir in the city that all eyes were on them. The Rangers slipped into the crowd as everyone moved into the castle, curious what would happen now that some of the Rangers were caught. As the city made their way to the throne room, though, the Rangers found their way back down to the prisons.

"Does it smell worse down here?" Levi asked and plugged his nose.

"This is where she kept Sarah?" Mick, as Kelly's chair, asked. The Rangers had told him about it when they brought Sarah home, but they hadn't shared every detail. He imagined it being bad but this was worse than what he thought.

"She was down here," Hayley answered and raced ahead to push the door open. With Brody's help, it opened slightly, enough for everyone to make their way inside. Then Hayley let the door close, hoping this wasn't the biggest mistake the Rangers could make.

"The back wall," Kelly said and Mick rolled her over to the very back of the cell. Levi, Brody and Hayley followed.

"Oh god, what did I just step in?" Brody asked and looked down at his shoe. It was too dark to tell for sure, but he had a feeling he didn't want to know.

"Shh, Brody. We don't know when someone will be down," Levi told his brother. Brody nodded his head. They joined Mick, Kelly and Hayley on the back wall and pressed themselves against it.

"Are we ready?" Mick asked and they nodded. "Here goes."

Mick examined the wall carefully, taking in every detail that he could and then shifted his body to look exactly like it, creating a false wall as close as possible to the real one that would hide the Rangers. This way, no one would know they were inside.

"Question," Kelly said and looked up at her friends. "Why didn't we let the magician stay with us? You know, so if this takes too long, he could poof us out?"

"Do you really want to leave without Sarah?" Levi asked her.

"I want to be with Sarah."

"She'll come down," Brody said. "This is her cell and Oedius still needs her alive. She's got to be brought down here."

"With Calvin and Preston?" Hayley asked.

"This was the only cell on the map that looked like this one," Levi said. "It's got to be where she plans on keeping all of us."

"Together?"

"Guys, shh!" Mick warned them. "You're only hidden if you stop making noise. Otherwise I can't help you."

"Ninja voices," Kelly whispered and nodded. "Got it."

-Ninja-Steel-

Being abused by the guards, while it wasn't exactly common, wasn't unusual for Sarah anymore. Whenever they did bring her food, they always had to make sure that she ate something. Sarah had been beaten, restrained and force fed until she learned it was just easier to take a few bites than put up a fight.

So being dragged across the floor, without care for obstacles like stairs, wasn't much of a shock to Sarah. It hurt her tender body and she did cry out, but she knew to expect it. Eventually, the guards dumped her on the ground. They didn't bother to restrain her, knowing she was too weak to outrun them. However, they did restrain Preston and Calvin, who were playing their parts well by putting up a fight.

Oedius walked into the room and sat on her throne. He presence alone caused the whole city to bow to her. Oedius looked around. She had been informed that some of her guards had captured the Rangers. She had been hoping that she would see all of them before her. She was disappointed when she saw it was the Ranger she already had and only two of her friends.

"Three?" she asked the guards, the anger evident in her tone. "You disturb me for three Rangers?"

"These two were escaping with the prisoner."

"Probably taking her to their friends!" Oedius shouted. "You should have let them go! Find out where they're hiding, then struck."

"But they were…"

"I don't care!" Oedius shouted. The guard winced. He was sure that this would be his end. However, before Oedius could do anything, another guard spoke up.

"They had these," he said and from his suit he pulled out the six Power Stars that Oedius was missing. Oedius looked delighted as she took the Stars, then looked to the Rangers.

"Is this a trap?" she asked. Preston nervously shook his head.

"No…"

"Are you sure?"

"Your guards killed them," Calvin said and Oedius turned to him. "We tried to get into the city and some guards saw us."

"How did I not hear about this?" Oedius asked and looked to her guards. They shrugged.

"We beat them," Calvin said. "But the others didn't make it. We were ambushed, and Preston and I just barely got away with our lives."

"And you decide to come back for your friend?" Oedius asked and pointed to Sarah on the ground. "Just as I thought; you humans are too sentimental. What is she worth to you?"

"We don't leave friends behind…"

"And look where that got you," Oedius teased as she gestured around to her room. "Captured. At my mercy! Their Power Stars may be useless to me now, but at least I still have yours."

"You're not going to kill us?" Preston asked. Oedius looked to him with a sickening smirk.

"Oh, my boy. By the time I'm finished with you, you're going to wish you were dead. Isn't that right, pink Ranger? Guards, take them to their prison."

The guards grabbed Sarah, Preston and Calvin as the city watched helplessly. Oedius had already taken over the planet with only one Star and now the Rangers had just delivered the rest of them to her.

"Actually… wait!" Oedius called out before the Rangers were gone. "Before you do… take them to the game room. I think it's time we have a little fun with our last defenders of the planet."

"No," Sarah cried out and shook her head. She was pulling against the guards, trying to free herself as she looked to Oedius in terror. "Please, no… not there!"

"I want them begging for death next time I see them," Oedius commanded, then sent the rest of the city out of her castle before she left the room.

Sarah's begging started to worry Preston and Calvin. While they were already worried that they weren't headed straight to the prison, they figured that their plan had to hit a few bumps before it went well. Being sent to the game room would just mean they would arrive in their cell a little later than they expected.

But Sarah's panic indicated that maybe it was more than that. Maybe Oedius wasn't just going to hurt them. A few punches, bruises, cuts – that was a regular day for the Rangers. They would bounce back. The boys hoped it wouldn't be worse than that.

But they also knew Madam Oedius. They knew she wasn't one to half-ass her plans either.


	13. Home

It was getting late. At least, Levi thought it was getting late. There was no clock and no window. Nothing to indicate the actual time. However, Levi felt like he had been sitting in the cell for a long time. He was certain that, by now, the others should have joined him.

"They'll be fine," Brody told his brother. He recognized the look of worry. It was the same from when they were kids. "So far, luck's been on our side. We found Sarah, bumped into James…"

"Who didn't come back," Levi reminded him.

"They'll be fine."

"Why did we let them do this?" Levi asked.

"We had to distract the city. It was the only way we could get in."

"But there's no promise that Oedius will bring them all here," Levi said. "She could have other cells, just like this one…"

"Sarah said this was the only cell of it's kind on the blueprints."

"She's not exactly at her best."

"We have to trust her," Brody said. "And we have to do something to get back home."

"Without Calvin or Preston?" Levi asked.

"They'll be here," Brody insisted. Levi wasn't willing to simply believe, but there was nothing better that he could suggest. They were already mid plan and while he didn't like it, he knew that two Rangers needed to be with Sarah. Having three meant they could look out for each other if anything did go wrong.

It was the waiting and the not knowing. Not knowing if his friends were okay, or if the plan was working. Sitting, helpless, hoping, dreading… there was no promise this would work out.

"Door's opening," Mick announced to the Rangers. They couldn't see on the other side of his wall, so he would have to tell them whenever something was happening. "Preston's in. Calvin's in. Sarah's in."

"Let us know when the door's closed, Mick," Brody said. It was another minute or two, then Mick gave them the signal. He transformed back to himself.

"I'll head back, check on the kids," he said. He looked to the Rangers. Fear and pride filled him, but he didn't want to let either show. It was too early to know either way how this would go. "I really hope this is my last day here. I really hope, next time I see you, you're telling me this story and I have no memory of it."

"Us too," Brody nodded.

"Remember, you have to go back to _after_ Oedius shot you. There's no telling what might happen if the six of you are with the six of you at the same time."

"We'll do it," Brody promised. He glanced quickly to Kelly, who was the only one who wanted to travel back to before Oedius kidnapped Sarah. He knew she had agreed to their plan, but hoped she wouldn't protest it again.

"Brody," Mick said and spoke directly to the red Ranger while the others went to Calvin, Preston and Sarah. "In case… in case this doesn't work…"

"Mick, don't say it."

"You're my best friend, buddy," Mick told him. "I love you. You know that, right."

"I love you too, Mick, but I will see you again," Brody assured him. Mick gave a nod. He knew _he_ would never see Brody, but as long as the plan worked, a version of him would. He transformed himself into a tiny bug and crawled his way out of the cell. He needed to get home. The Rangers and he had promised they would care for James' kids and he intended on honouring that deal.

With Mick gone, Brody turned to look at his friends. That was when he saw their state. Calvin, Preston and Sarah were covered in their own blood. It was dried, and they weren't bleeding anymore, but it was clear that they had been hurt – and were still hurting. Whatever Oedius had done, she had done it well.

"Guys!"

"He's alive," Levi promised. He had sat next to Preston after helping Kelly reach Sarah. He checked the blue Ranger's pulse again, just to be sure, then nodded. "Barely, though. We've got to do this now."

"Calvin?" Brody asked as he turned to Hayley.

"Same," she said and cradled her boyfriend to her chest.

"Sarah?" Brody finally turned to Kelly. The green Ranger held her girlfriend close, but Brody didn't see her checking for a pulse. Instead, she just held her, stroking her hair. "Kelly, how's Sarah?"

Kelly shook her head. Brody made his way over and gently pressed his index and middle finger against Sarah's neck. If there was a pulse, it wasn't very strong at all.

"She's not in pain anymore," Kelly told him. "We've got to go. We have to get back."

"Kelly…"

"She'll still be with Oedius, but she'll be alive," Kelly said. "Take us back and it'll be fine."

Brody nodded his head, then he looked around the cell. Sarah had promised him that Oedius had hidden the time machine in here somewhere. She said it was under one of the stones of the floor. Right now, Brody couldn't remember which one, and asking Sarah wasn't an option.

All the stones looked rather similar. Brody couldn't see where Oedius would hide anything, but he felt there had to be marker. If Oedius never needed the time machine again, she would have destroyed it.

He hoped she hadn't.

Still, if it was around, there had to be some clue to where it was. If Brody couldn't find it, he and his friends would be trapped in this cell for the rest of their lives. All the Rangers who had died would remain dead, and Earth would continue to live as slaves to Oedius.

His heart started to race at the thought. He couldn't do it again. He couldn't be a prisoner. Working for Galvanax, living in one of his cells had been bad. Brody hadn't realized that compared to Oedius, being a slave of Galvanax was a rather luxurious life.

He didn't want to suffer like that. Not again.

"Dammit!" he shouted and kicked the wall. Hayley and Levi looked up at him.

"You find it?"

"Would I be yelling if I did?" Brody snapped. He knew it wasn't their fault. They were tending to Calvin and Preston. They couldn't help him right now. Still, he was frustrated. They had come all this way, done all this, even had a Ranger die… and Brody couldn't finish the last piece of their puzzle?"

"Stay calm, brother," Levi said. "Getting angry isn't going to help."

"Do you want to look?"

"Try somewhere Oedius wouldn't think Sarah would ever look," Levi said.

"She didn't know it was in here."

"We can't underestimate Oedius," Levi said. "She would have considered the possibility of Sarah realizing where the time machine was. Where could Madam Oedius have hidden it where Sarah would never look?"

"I… I don't know," Brody said. He looked around the cell again. There was the blanket, where Sarah slept. The food that was still sitting there from when they rescued her. Clearly no one had come down to take it away. There was the corner where Sarah used the bathroom – with a bucket that had likely been sitting there for as long as the food, maybe longer. Brody didn't want to think much about what happened with the bucket, but he was sure it didn't get emptied much, which explained the smell in the room.

Then it hit him. He rushed for the bucket, picked it up and moved it aside. Levi watched, a disgusted look on his face as the liquid splashed and spilled on his brother.

"Oh god, Brody!"

Right under the bucket, Brody saw a stone that looked a little loose. He wiped his hands on his pants to dry them off so they wouldn't be slippery then tried to pry the stone out. When he had a good hold of it, he pulled it up.

There. Right there was a hole. Right there was where he reached in and felt his hand touch something. He pulled it out and recognized the weapon as the one Oedius used to send him and his friends to this future. He held it up, showing the others.

"What a shitty hiding place," Levi said and though it was a joke, he still looked completely disgusted. "Stay over there until you figure it out, alright?"

Brody gave a nod. He looked to the time machine. The date set on it was obviously the time the Rangers arrived. He figured if he set it back to when they wanted to return to their time, they would undo what happened.

When he set the time back, an option appeared on the screen to undo what the time machine had done previously. Brody wasn't sure why it was there, but figured maybe, if this didn't go according to plan, Oedius might want to try again.

Then it occurred to him what happened. Oedius had kidnapped Sarah and Mick recognized the time machine being the same design as the one he had built with Sarah. Oedius had forced Sarah to make it and program it.

Sarah had done what she was told, but it looked like she had snuck in her own little weapon. Brody looked to her briefly, wishing he could thank her while she still knew what was going on.

"Guys, I've got it," he said. He turned on the machine and brought it over to the others.

"You smell so bad," Hayley told him.

"I'll shower when I get home."

"Dad won't let you inside," Levi told his brother. "You're getting the hose, for sure."

"Can we discuss this later?" Kelly asked. "I don't care how Brody smells, I just want to see Sarah alive again."

The Rangers all agreed, and Brody shot them all with the time machine, making sure he hit the undo button as he did.

The Rangers appeared back in the Summer Cove they recognized, with their former selves no long around. Oedius was just throwing her hands up to celebrate her victory when she saw them.

"What?"

"You can't get rid of us that easily!" Brody told her. Oedius pointed the time machine at them again. She tried to shoot them, but nothing happened. She looked to it, saw that it had somehow broken and cursed her luck.

"You will regret this, Rangers!" she shouted before she disappeared. Brody smiled, glad that was over. He turned to his friends. They all looked relieved to be home except for Kelly.

"Sarah can make you a new wheelchair," he told her, assuming she wasn't happy because she was without a way to get around. Kelly shook her head.

"How's she going to do that when Oedius still has her and now she's pissed?"

"_Rangers, are you okay?" _Mick asked over the communicator.

"We're fine, Mick," Brody said. "But we're in a bit of a pinch."

He looked to the blue and yellow Rangers, "Preston and Calvin are in a bad way and we need to find where Oedius is keeping Sarah ASAP."

"_Bring them back. We'll worry about Sarah after we've…"_

"I'm worried about her now!" Kelly said. "Mick, please. Just trust me. She needs our help now."

"_It's too dangerous,_" Mick said. _"We don't know where…"_

"We have to try!"

"_Get back to the base, I promise we'll figure something out soon,"_ Gia said.

"Kelly," Hayley looked to her, "It's not just Sarah who's in trouble anymore. We can help Preston and Calvin right now."

Kelly felt her heart sink in her chest as she realized she was painfully outnumbered. Not only that, but she had to rely on her friends to get around and if they refused to help her, there was nothing she could do about it.

"Fine."

"We'll find her as soon as we know the guys will be okay," Hayley promised.


	14. Safe Returns

In her prison, Sarah was hard at work. Now that the time machine was complete, there was nothing else for her to do but try to escape. She hoped Oedius would be gone long enough for her to figure out her escape.

She was just figuring out the details of her escape when the door practically burst open and Oedius stormed in. She didn't look happy at all. Sarah backed away from the table, praying Oedius wouldn't see what she had been doing.

Oedius didn't care to look, though, as she approached Sarah, grabbed the pink Ranger by the neck and smashed her into the wall.

"It didn't work! What did you do!"

"Nothing…" Sarah said. "I… made… it… exactly…"

"Then they came back! I wasn't good enough!" Oedius shouted and she threw Sarah across the room. Sarah hit the ground hard and felt the room start to spin as she grabbed her head.

"Oh god…"

Oedius turned to the door, where her monsters watched her, "Kill the kid."

"No!" Sarah shouted. She rose to her knees and looked to Oedius. "I swear, I did it right. Don't hurt her."

"You messed up," Oedius growled. She turned back to her monsters. "Did you not hear me? Give out the command. I want that kid dead by the end of the day or it'll be all of you begging for life."

"Don't hurt her!" Sarah shouted and jumped to her feet. She raced towards Oedius and grabbed the fox from behind. She wasn't sure what she would do next, but at least she had tried something.

Oedius grabbed Sarah, threw her over her shoulder and then stomped down on her stomach. She held her foot there as the others raced off to give the order to kill Ciara.

Oedius then looked down at Sarah with a smirk, "Once I know the kid is dead, you'll be…"

"Incoming!" they heard and Oedius looked up just in time to receive a soccer ball to the face. She stumbled backwards, her foot lifting from Sarah, who crawled towards the door as quickly as she could. Once there, she looked up as people arrived. She recognized Emma and Jake, but not the others.

Jake pointed to Oedius. "Can I have my ball back? Coach isn't going to be happy if I'm late for the pre-season meeting."

"But… but I had a monster at your house," Oedius frowned as she grabbed the ball and it popped in her hands.

"Yeah, I know," Jake nodded. "That's why the kids are staying with…"

"No one," Emma interrupted, then shot Jake a look. "We don't tell evil monsters where we hid our children."

"Is that really a rule?" Jake frowned. "I mean, it makes sense but… I don't think that's a rule."

"Last time we were Rangers, we didn't have kids," the man in silver said.

"Good point, Orion," Jake nodded. "Okay, new rule: don't tell the enemy where we hid the kids."

"New rule: make sure not to assume anything is obvious to Jake," a man in blue chuckled. "Now, are we going to take out this… cat?"

"Fox," Emma answered.

"I think we're here for her, Noah," Orion said and pointed to Sarah with a smile. "We're Gia's friends."

"Can we wrap this up, then?" Sarah asked. "My head's killing, the room's still spinning and usually when I smell burnt toast and my uncle isn't in the kitchen, it means I'm about to have a seizure."

"Let's go," Noah nodded. He and Orion helped Sarah up while Jake looked to Oedius.

"You can keep the ball. My friends and I are going home. Next time don't threaten Ciara unless you plan on getting your ass kicked."

"Jake, let's go!" Emma called for him. Jake called back to say he was coming, then looked to Oedius.

"Trust me. You really don't want to piss off my wife again, do you?" he said and winked before he ran off. Oedius growled as she watched them go.

She couldn't believe it. She had thought this out so perfectly and yet… she underestimated the Rangers?

No… she underestimated their friends. The Power Rangers, and how they always seemed to stick together. She had already come face to face with a yellow Ranger that wasn't part of their original team. She knew they worked with other Rangers as well.

Now they were showing up, just in the nick of time. Now they were going out of their way to help each other. And not just individual Rangers, but entire teams?

No. Oedius wouldn't let that continue.

"Out of my way," Oedius barked at her crew as she marched out of the work room. Badonna followed her.

"Madam Oedius, should we go after them?"

"Let them think they've won," Oedius shook her head. "I need something big. Something that'll stop those former Rangers from ever interfering in my business again!"

-Ninja-Steel-

"Where does it hurt?" Hayley asked Calvin as she helped him gently lay down on the cot in Ninja Ops. It wasn't the best spot to recover, but unless they could find a doctor who would both believe and not overreact over their time traveling story, Ninja Ops was the best place to be.

"I feel like I've been hit by a truck," Calvin muttered.

"Are you ready to talk about what happened?" Hayley asked him and very briefly glanced over to Preston. Only one of them needed to talk, but both would always go quiet whenever they were asked about it. Hayley looked to Calvin, "Cal, honey…"

"Hayley, it's fine," Calvin said, though he and Hayley both knew that was a lie. "It happened, we survived…"

"Mostly," Preston muttered.

"We survived," Calvin stated. "We just need a few days to rest and we'll be back. Go look for Sarah."

Hayley shook her head. She really wasn't convinced that it was fine, or that a few days of rest would help make this go away. When she had seen Calvin and Preston come back, they were covered in their own blood. Mick had stitched them both up and cleaned up wounds that were sure to leave scars. The bruises were painful just to look at and Calvin winced with pain anytime he moved or breathed.

He wasn't well. Neither was Preston. Hayley loved them both. She hated to see them in so much pain. She knew talking about what happened wouldn't change what happened, but she knew it would at least help the boys cope with it. Whatever happened while they weren't in the cell had clearly done more than just physical pain.

"We don't keep secrets from each other, Cal," Hayley reminded him.

"Can't we make an exception?" Calvin asked her. "Please, Hayley…"

"How about we let them rest?" Mick suggested. "Right now, arguing isn't doing anyone any good."

"But…"

"I'll keep an eye on them, you help the others look for Sarah," Mick said and pointed to the kitchen table. Levi, Brody and Kelly were gathered there with Serena and Gia. Hayley looked to Calvin, then turned away and walked to the table.

"We can't just sit here," Kelly said. "Sarah's with Oedius, and even though we've changed what'll happen to her, we all know Oedius is a huge bitch!"

"And I'm telling you, if Oedius is as devious as you think she is, she'll expect you to come looking for Sarah," Gia said. "Besides, you have two Rangers in recovery, one is the reason we're doing this rescue and if I were to push you off that chair, there was nothing you could do to keep yourself from hitting the ground."

"Mean."

"More than half your team is in no shape to fight and Oedius has proven, time and time again, that three, even four Rangers, aren't much of a threat to her. Trust me, we're better off waiting, coming up with a good plan, and then rescuing Sarah."

"Uh, are we in the right spot?" Orion asked as he arrived in Ninja Ops. "Because the Gia I know would never wait for a better plan. She always just runs in head first."

"Who's that?" Brody asked, but Gia didn't answer right away. Though she liked to keep in touch with her team, it wasn't often they got to see each other anymore. With kids, work, and exploring the planet, it was hard for them to find time for each other. She rushed over to Orion and happily hugged him.

"You came!"

"Yeah, well, when Rangers are in trouble, it's kind of in the contract to help out," Orion chuckled. Just then, Noah appeared behind him. The blue Ranger looked around and smiled brightly.

"This place is sick!"

"You came too?" Gia asked and hugged Noah tight. He nodded his head.

"I can't let Rebecca have all the fun. There's something weird about listening to her saving the planet stories while I tell her about my boring old job," he chuckled.

"Who are they?" Brody asked again, but this time directed his question to Serena, thinking she might answer it.

"Megaforce," Serena said. "You didn't actually think we were going to let Oedius hang on to Sarah for very long, did you?"

"Are they here to help?" Hayley asked. Just then, Jake, Emma and Troy arrived in the base, and Sarah came in with them. She was a little wobbly on her feet, still dizzy from Oedius throwing her around, but otherwise she looked well. She was definitely doing better than the last time Kelly saw her.

It was then that the weight of everything that happened hit Kelly like a truck. Sarah disappearing in the middle of the night and her not finding out until the morning. Kelly not knowing who had Sarah, or why, but having to think that regardless of what the answer might be, there was nothing good about it.

Travelling through time, finding Sarah in a cell, seeing her reduced to a shell of her former self. Watching her starve, regardless of how much food Kelly and the others gave up to feed her. Seeing her always strong, always powerful girlfriend so weak, she couldn't walk by herself, or stand without needing to catch her breath. Brushing Sarah's hair, feeling strands of it coming out due to malnourishment.

Having Sarah die in her arms after an excruciating beating. Holding her, knowing she was helpless to protect her. Sarah was always strong, and always looked out for Kelly, but the green Ranger couldn't reciprocate.

Coming back to the present, knowing they had to leave Sarah with Oedius, and then knowing that before they could even think of rescuing her, they needed to get the boys home. Being told that Sarah would be okay when Kelly had already seen that was the furthest thing from the truth.

Kelly had a family with the Fosters. She loved Aaron like a father and Hayley like a sister. She never wanted to lose them. She loved her Ranger team, and would fight with, and for them, until her dying breath.

But Sarah was above all that. Sarah was the person she loved. Sarah, simply by being around, made Kelly's life better. Sarah could brighten up even the darkest of Kelly's days with a simple smile. Sarah made Kelly feel safe, loved, and wanted. Even when they were apart, just thinking of Sarah, knowing that Kelly had her in her life, made everything feel okay.

Not knowing what was happening to her; or even if she was still alive, was the most painful thing Kelly had experienced. Hearing her parents completely dehumanize her LGBT community didn't hurt this much. Being physically kicked out of her home didn't hurt like this. Losing her parents; losing Anne; losing her ability to walk? None of it hurt like not knowing if she would ever see Sarah – her Sarah – alive again.

Even if she could walk, Kelly knew she wouldn't have made it to Sarah. Fortunately, her friends were there to help. Levi helped her stand as Sarah rushed over and the girls embraced tightly.

"Third-wheeling it," Serena whispered to Levi, who chuckled.

"In this case, I don't mind," he said. He tried to let go of Kelly, thinking that Sarah would help her stay up, but he felt Kelly's weight dropping as soon as he started to release his hold. Realizing that if he let go, they would both hit the floor, Levi continued to hold them both as Kelly cried and Sarah promised she was alright. "Okay, this is a little awkward now."

"How's Ciara?" Gia asked Jake after watching the girl reunite.

"She with your mothers," Jake said. "And Oedius doesn't know that."

"Big mouth almost let that slip," Emma rolled her eyes.

"Did Oedius put up a fight?"

"I think getting kicked in the head with a soccer ball was a bit unexpected," Troy said as he glanced to Jake. "She really didn't know what to do when she looked up and saw the five of us standing there."

"So, no incidents?"

"She wasn't happy," Emma said. "Gia, you have to promise you're going to be careful."

"I'm always watching my back."

"No, I'm always watching your back," Emma frowned. "And now that you're working here and I'm staying in Angel Grove, I can't always be watching your back so I need you to start picking up the slack a bit."

"Hey, I've gotten better," Gia frowned. She turned to Orion. "Didn't you just say I don't sound like myself anymore."

"Yeah," Orion nodded and turned to Emma with a smirk. "She's learned that the brain isn't just for cheating at pokert and remembering every useless fact she could ever need for trivia nights. Now she knows she can use it to think too."

"You guys suck," Gia huffed and turned away from her friends. "You can go now."

"I actually do have to go," Jake said and checked his watch. "My flight's leaving soon. If everything's actually okay here then I should probably be on my way to the airport."

"I'll pick the kids up from my mothers'," Emma told him.

"I'll give you a ride to the airport," Noah offered. Jake gave him a nod, then looked to Gia with a smile.

"You call if anything comes up," he said. "I'll facetime as soon as I land."

"You better," Gia said. She hugged him tight and kissed him deeply.

"Okay, let's go!" Noah called out as he grabbed Jake and pulled him away. "You're only gone a couple of weeks and these Rangers are still just kids."

"I love you!" Jake said to his wife as he was dragged away.

"I've got to get back to HQ," Troy frowned. "I have to make sure monsters in backyards isn't the headline in tomorrow's paper."

"Thanks for helping," Gia said and then before Troy could add anything, she cut him off. "Yes, you can book overtime for this."

"I'll pick up the kids," Emma said. "You'll be home for dinner, right?"

"Give me a couple of hours to make sure everything's okay here and I'll be right home," Gia promised. As Emma left, the yellow Ranger looked to Orion. "Still traveling or…"

"Settling down. Troy got me a place in Harwood. It's a bit of a dump but compared to living isolated on a barren planet, it's not too bad."

"Any idea how you'll pay the bills?"

"Odd jobs, I guess."

"Want steady income?" Gia offered. "Since I'm leaving, Rebecca's got a new partner who's… a bit of a stinker. I'm sure she'd appreciate someone who showers daily."

"Are you offering me your old job?" Orion asked.

"I'm keeping my old job and moving it here," Gia said. "I'm offering you the position of Rebecca's partner."

"She'll be okay with that?"

"You don't smell," Gia shrugged.

"What about her partner? He'll be okay…"

"Troy's still looking for a partner since Rebecca's promotion."

"He didn't want to get promoted too?"

"He likes Harwood. I figure Stinkerson can move there with Troy and you can work with Rebecca."

"So, Troy's going to hate you," Orion chuckled.

"Stinks-a-lot has to work somewhere. Troy can see, so his sense of smell isn't overwhelming. It's the lesser of two evils."

"Can I have a night to think about it?"

"You start Monday," Gia told him. "Trust me, you'll like it."


	15. Debrief

"So… let me get this straight," Aaron frowned as he looked between his daughters and Sarah, then to Shane, who seemed just as confused as he was. They had called them both to Shane's new apartment with quiet a story. Preston and Calvin needed someone to cover for them if their parents questioned why they wouldn't be home for a few days. Filling Aaron and Shane in on the truth so they could have a good cover up in case they were called was necessary to keeping the other parents in the dark. "Madam Oedius kidnapped Sarah last night on her way home from Gia's house?"

"You said you were staying with Gia," Shane frowned. Sarah looked to him defensively.

"I was being kidnapped," she said. "What was I supposed to tell you? I'll be spending the night in Oedius' crashed ship?"

"A little heads up from someone would have been nice." Shane crossed his arms over his chest as he turned to Hayley and Kelly.

"We didn't find out until the morning," Kelly told him.

"But then," Aaron continued, still trying to put the pieces together, "Madam Oedius showed up to a fight with a time machine. Hit everyone except Sarah and sent you to the future."

"One year from today," Hayley nodded.

"Where Oedius had taken over the whole planet and ruled it under an iron fist, and all the other Rangers were dead. You arrived in the wastelands, where Mick was able to find you, get you to his secret underwater cave, then tell you Oedius keeps her time machine, which you need to get back, in the castle. So, you sneak in, happen to find Sarah while looking for the time machine. She says it's not there, not knowing that it is, and you take her back home. Then you know you need to get the time machine, but you don't know where it is, but before you begin looking you bump into Serena's husband and kids. He goes into the city to check out where he thinks the time machine is. He never comes back, but a map of the whole castle suddenly, and magically, flies in with the wind while you're waiting. Sarah can read it, figures out the time machine is actually in the prison Oedius kept her in all along?"

"So far, so good," Hayley nodded.

"So, you know you have to get into the castle, but you know everyone on the planet and their mother is looking for you to please Oedius. So, you have Calvin and Preston pretend that they're rescuing Sarah to draw everyone's attention and while their all busy with that, the rest of you sneak in, lock yourself in the cell where Oedius kept Sarah, and waited for them to be locked up in there with you. When they were, they were badly beaten, which is why, if their parents ask, we have to tell them that the boys are staying with us for a few days to finish up a project for school."

"Don't forget, I died," Sarah said and crossed her arms. "Again."

"Again?" Shane frowned. She sighed.

"Don't ask."

"So, Brody," Aaron continued, "Looks around the cell for the time machine. Oedius apparently hid it under the bucket where Sarah… used the washroom?"

"Oh, is that why he smelled so bad?" Sarah frowned and turned to her teammates.

"It was gross," Kelly nodded.

"We don't talk about it," Hayley said.

"He finds the time machine, uses it, undoes everything that the machine did and now you're all back, safe and… mostly sound."

"And alive," Sarah added for Aaron, then looked to Hayley and Kelly. "I can't believe you two let me die, again!"

"This is… stressful," Aaron said. He turned to Shane, desperate for some support. "Did your team go through this kind of stuff?"

"Lothor wasn't that… devious," Shane shook his head. "But if it makes you feel better, our mentor was a guinea pig."

"A… like the rodent?"

"A guinea pig in robes," Shane nodded. "Talking, too. And don't cross him, because he still knew how to kick ass."

"I… I… I don't even know how to respond to that," Aaron frowned. "So, can I expect stuff like this to happen all the time… or…"

"Hopefully not," Kelly told him. "But if Calvin's parents ask…"

"He's staying with us," Aaron agreed. "I… I don't even think I could tell them the truth if I tried!"

"Shane…"

"Yeah, I'll cover with Preston's parents," Shane nodded. "But what about the school?"

"Mick's taking care of that," Sarah said. "He'll be able to fudge the attendance, so they think the guys are there."

"We should probably get going," Hayley said and looked to her dad. "I want to get back to Ninja Ops. I promised Calvin I wouldn't be gone long."

"Let me know if you need anything," Aaron said and hugged his daughter tight. He knew he hadn't been aware of any of this happening, but hearing about it did make him worry. He was glad everything worked out, but he knew it was possible that life, as he knew it, could have been very different.

After saying goodbye to Hayley, he looked to Kelly, "Will you be going back too or…?"

"I think I'll stay here tonight," Kelly said and quickly looked to Shane and Sarah to make sure it was okay. She knew she had an open invitation, but after the story they told she wanted to make sure she wasn't overstepping. She was sure Shane was worried and there was a chance he wanted more details, especially since Sarah kept repeating that she had died.

"Of course," Shane assured her.

Kelly said goodbye to Aaron. Then, once she was sure that Shane didn't have anymore follow up questions, she and Sarah made their way to the bedroom. Sarah hadn't had much of a chance to decorate it, since she hardly spent anytime at home since Shane had moved in, but it did have a bed, a desk and a bookshelf, filled with all of Sarah's books and notes.

Kelly rolled up to the bed and then pulled herself onto it. She lay down, tired after her long day. Sarah sat down next to her.

"You okay?" she asked the green Ranger. Kelly shrugged.

"I think so. You?"

"I'm feeling better," Sarah smiled. "Probably by the morning the headache will be gone."

"The dizziness?"

"Gone," Sarah promised. "I think the worst is behind us. Well, it sure is. At least I'm not dead."

Sarah meant it as a joke, but Kelly didn't even smile. She looked down at her hands sadly and with a loud sigh.

"I'm kidding," Sarah told her. Kelly looked up.

"I didn't let you die," she said. Sarah frowned.

"I know."

"I just… I protested letting you go with Oedius. You weren't well and I knew, if she really pushed, you probably wouldn't make it. I knew it was a future we were trying to erase, and if everything worked out I would see you again but…"

"Kelly, I know," Sarah repeated. It didn't seem to calm the green Ranger, though. Kelly continued to look uneasy as she played with her hands. Sarah held them gently and smiled, "Kelly, I'm okay. I trust, whatever you did, whatever happened, it was for the best."

"It… it wasn't just that," Kelly said. "You dying was rough but… it was everything else, too. Finding you in that cell… seeing you wasting away. I mean, I couldn't walk on my own either but… at least… I mean, at least it was because my legs don't work. Not because I was so… weak."

"Weak?"

Kelly nodded. She really wasn't used to seeing Sarah that way. She had seen her girlfriend sick, and injured, but those were always temporary and usually just physical. However, in the future, Sarah hadn't just been physically weak. It wasn't her body that Oedius managed to break. Everything about Sarah seemed to be wasting away.

"You were starving and… we couldn't get enough food to stop that. You were so tired, and it didn't matter how much we let you rest. You couldn't walk without one of the guys carrying you most of the way, and even then, just being awake, just moving around, took its toll. It's like… whatever we did to try and help, wouldn't help. And it's just… I'm not… you're always so…"

"Strong?" Sarah asked. Kelly nodded her head.

"I know we've talked about this before. I know we've joked that you're superman and I'm more like cookie monster…"

"Kelly…"

"I know I have my own strengths but… You were just so… so weak and it made me feel so helpless and…"

Sarah shook her head, pulled her girlfriend up and held her in her arms.

"I might look like superman to you," Sarah said. "But to me, you _are_ superman."

"I… I…"

"You really are," Sarah told her. "You're beautiful, you're smart, you're brave."

"You're just saying that."

"I truly believe it," Sarah promised. "Kelly, you've been through so much and you're still… if I had your life, I don't think I'd be okay but you're… you're smiling. You're often happy. You're doing well in school, you've got great friends, an awesome girlfriend – if I do say so myself."

Kelly chuckled as Sarah playfully nudged her.

"I…"

"You're rocking that wheelchair. You're writing amazing books about our adventures. You tried to protect me from Harley, and you were even brave enough to call him on his bullshit in front of the whole city. And… I know I wasn't there but… I know you, Kel, and I know, at the worst time in my life, you were there for me. I know, that it didn't matter what happened to me. Knowing you were there, I was probably fine."

"You make me sound really good," Kelly said and wiped a few stray tears from her eyes.

"You are good," Sarah told her. "You're amazing. I mean… you've got all that crap of your own you've had to put up with and then… us? You remember when the brain injury wasn't just reading and writing, right?"

"Do I?" Kelly asked sarcastically.

"You had a million reasons to leave and you didn't just stay, you helped me through it. You were my advocate when I needed someone most. You kept loving me even when I was being a total nightmare. I had fits. I was difficult…"

"You couldn't help it."

"Doesn't matter. You stayed. You didn't have to. I wouldn't have blamed you. But you were there, everyday, helping me through it. You're always there, Kelly. You're always exactly where I need you. That's what's so great about superman. He's there for people when they need him. The strength, the speed… none of that matters if the guy doesn't show up."

"It hurt," Kelly said. "Seeing you like that… doing nothing… I just… I can't get it out of my head. I can't… if we didn't come home. If we… if we didn't find that time machine and… if that was how things ended for you, for us…"

"It's not," Sarah shook her head and smiled. "Kelly, you pulled through."

"I couldn't do much."

"You did what you needed to do," Sarah said. "I'm just sorry I wasn't there to help. I'm sorry you, all of you, had to go through that without me."

"Don't let Oedius take you again," Kelly said.

"If she's threatening kids, I don't have much of a choice," Sarah told her. "I couldn't let anything happen to Ciara. I couldn't run the risk that she was bluffing. But I knew you guys would come. Even if… technically, you didn't show up."

"I wanted to."

"I know. I knew, as soon as you could, you'd be there."

Kelly wrapped her arms around Sarah, never wanting to let go. This last day had been exhausting in every sense of the word. While it would be a while before Kelly did completely recover from it, at least she did still have Sarah. At least they stopped the future from happening.

"You're amazing," Sarah told her and held her tight. "And I promise, as soon as I can, I'll get you some upgrades for that chair again. I'll get you back to rolling, hovering, and blasting monsters before you can really miss it."

"Thanks."

"But, seriously, though, did you have to leave the last one behind?" Sarah frowned. "I mean… I worked so hard on it and now it's just… gone."

"It was a wasteland. It would be way to hard for me to push my chair anywhere."

"But… like, there were still five other people. Someone carries you and someone else takes the chair."

"We were trying to figure out what happened," Kelly said. "Then how to get back, then we were too busy looking after you. My chair would have been useless."

"And there was no power, like at all?"

"Only in the castle, and even then, Oedius seemed pretty uptight about who got it. I guess she didn't want to risk us having weapons or powers or whatever."

"Yeah. Even in her workshop, there really wasn't more than what was necessary for building a time machine."

"You've done that twice now," Kelly said. "You know, some of the worlds greatest minds haven't figured it out and you've travelled through time twice."

"Technically I travelled once. I've built two machines."

Kelly chuckled, "You know… maybe we should all be whacking ourselves on the head a lot more! Damn, see, now if I had broken my head, instead of my back, do you think I would have come up with… like… world peace or the cure for cancer or something?"

"Don't go trying," Sarah frowned and when Kelly pretended to use her hand to hit herself in the head, Sarah pushed her over. "We can't both be brain damaged! You've got the legs, I get the head. No trading."

"Fine, but if a good whack is all it takes to achieve world peace, that's on you," Kelly smirked.

"I'll take that risk."


	16. The Game Room

After filling her dad in on what her day had been, Hayley returned to Ninja Ops to check up on Calvin and Preston. She knew Mick and RedBot would be there to look after the boys, but Hayley was sure Calvin wanted her to stay. He tried to act brave, but she could tell that he was in a lot of pain. And even if he wasn't, Hayley wanted to stay. She wanted to make sure that Calvin was comfortable, and reassure herself that he was fine.

Her heart had sunk when she saw him on the floor of the cell. She had seen him hurt before, but never covered in his own blood. For a moment, though it felt like much longer than that, she thought he was dead. There was no way someone could bleed that much and not be dead.

Mick had told her that it was almost the case. He had almost bled out and if the Rangers hadn't gotten him and Preston home when they did, he wouldn't have been able to help them in Ninja Ops. They would have needed to get to a hospital, and quickly.

Ninja Ops had a bedroom for such an occasion. When the Rangers couldn't make it home for the night, there was a safe, comfortable place for them to sleep. Mick had considered letting them rest in the room, but with their condition still so severe, he always wanted to keep an eye on them. He and RedBot wanted to know the second anything changed, or the moment there was something they could do to help.

Two cots were set up in the main room, in front of the TV. It wasn't much, but this way Mick and RedBot could watch them, the boys could rest, and if they had trouble sleeping, the TV would at least give them something to focus on.

Preston wasn't sleeping or watching the TV. He was reading a book of spells, practicing his magic. Hayley had to think he was looking for a way to ease the pain, or even recover completely. Whatever kept him busy. She walked over to him.

"How are you?"

"I've been better," he said. Hayley knew he was trying to be gentle. She was worried, and he didn't want to add to that. However, they both knew that he was sugar coating.

"Do you need anything?" she asked.

"I've got my book, water, and the TV," Preston shook his head. "Unless you can find the spell in here that will help me sleep this off, I'm good."

"I can't do that," Hayley said. "If I think of it, though, I'll let you know."

"Thanks, Hayl," Preston chuckled. He was glad she had come back. While he understood the others not wanting to stay overnight in Ninja Ops, since it would get crowded with everyone there, it was a bit lonely. He appreciated that Hayley was giving up her night of comfort, and though he knew she was really here for Calvin, he trusted that if he did need her, she would be there.

Sure that Preston was good for now, Hayley made her way over to Calvin's cot. He smiled when he saw her. Hayley brought over one of the kitchen chairs to sit next to him.

"Sarah and Kelly are home?" he asked.

"Home, safe and sound. Dad will cover for you with your parents if they get worried," Hayley promised. "And Nitro is safe and sound too. No scratches."

"That's a relief. I was worried," Calvin teased. Hayley rolled her eyes.

"You do remember I used to be the sole driver, right?" she said and Calvin chuckled. He nodded his head. Hayley took his hand. "So, you're feeling a bit better then?"

"I am."

"So, are you ready to talk about what happened?"

"Can we not?"

"Calvin…"

"Hayley, the past is in the past… or future… or… wait, the future is in the past." Calvin thought about his answer for a minute, then nodded. "Yes, the future is in the past, and I never want to time travel again."

"But whatever happened clearly had a huge effect."

"We don't talk about the accident that caused Sarah's brain injury."

"We were there," Hayley said. "You remember, the car that hit her? We were happy it did because we didn't know what she would do if it hadn't?"

"Fine, then you're not grilling Sarah about her kidnapping. Or Brody about his?"

"I'm not in love with Sarah or Brody," Hayley said. "I'm in love with you, and I care about what happened. I want to make sure that you're okay."

"And I promise, I am."

"But…"

"Preston and I have each other," Calvin said as he turned to the blue Ranger. "If this gets to be too much, we can talk to each other about this. But… what happened in the game room, stays in the game room."

"Cal…"

"I'm serious," Calvin said. He sat up, despite the pain, and took Hayley's hands gently. He looked into her eyes, "Hayley, honey, it's in the past."

"Preston?" Hayley broke eye contact to look to the blue Ranger. Preston looked up from his book, then to Hayley, then Calvin, then back to Hayley. He understood why Hayley wanted to know. He would want to know too. However, he and Calvin had an agreement. What happened in the game room, stayed in the game room.

"I'm not getting in the middle of this," he said.

"By not telling me, you're taking his side," Hayley said.

"Thanks, buddy," Calvin smiled.

"I'm not taking sides… I… it's just that… I…" Preston couldn't come up with something to say, so he put his nose back in his book and pretended like the couple wasn't there. Hayley sighed loudly.

"Calvin, come on…"

"You know, Hayl, you're stressing me out," he said. He leaned back down and turned away from Hayley. "I'm gonna try to get some sleep."

"Calvin…"

"I don't want to talk about this. If that's the only reason you're here, you can go home."

"That's not…" Hayley shook her head, but Calvin had already turned away from her and she knew that was his way of telling her he was really done. She leaned back in her chair. She was hurt, but she wouldn't go home. She was here to help, and as frustrating as Calvin was being, she did still want to help him feel better.

Calvin heard Hayley's silence, but he didn't hear her get up to leave. He hoped this wasn't her waiting him out, determined to talk about it the moment he moved.

He glanced to Preston, who was hiding behind his book. They had both agreed not to talk, not out of fear of what happened, or because they didn't want their friends' help. Despite what he said, Calvin was desperate for some advice from Hayley. He wanted so badly to tell her what happened, and have her reassure him that it was okay.

He wanted it more than he wanted this silence, or the arguing. He wanted it more than he wanted to feel better. But shame kept him from talking, and shame would be what kept this secret hidden.

"_Please don't,"_ he remembered the begging. He remembered the pain. He remembered trying to hold out. He tried to show Oedius and her guards that he wouldn't be so easily broken, but it was hard. It hurt. Everything hurt.

"_Please,"_ the begging was incessant. Calvin hated it. He hated begging. He hated what it meant. But he had to do it. Despite everything inside him telling him not to, he had to do it.

"_Don't do it. Please, Calvin, please!"_

"_I'm sorry," _he said. The pain had to stop. He couldn't be sure this was how, but he had to do something. Fighting it wasn't working. Defying his captors wasn't working. He was at a breaking point. He would do anything.

He glanced over at Preston. The blue Ranger wasn't giving him any indication on if he was making the right decision or not. All Preston could see as he looked over was pain. Preston was suffering, just as much as he was. His skin felt like it was on fire, his body cried out from the pain. It had to stop. There had to be a way to make it stop.

Preston wouldn't tell him, one way or the other, what to do. There was so much pain, he wanted it to stop. Preston would do anything to make it stop – but this? Preston was glad they hadn't asked him to do this. He was glad it wasn't up to him.

But he wanted it done. He didn't want Calvin to let him down. It was a big ask, and he would never ask it, but he wanted it more than anything else.

Then Calvin looked to Sarah. She was also in pain, also suffering. He knew he could put her out of her misery. He knew this would be for the best. It was the only way out, and it didn't matter what happened to her anyway. Once they got home, and he had to hope that this would be their way home, she would be okay again.

But this wasn't the same Sarah. This Sarah, begging him for her life right now, was a different Sarah from the one at home. If he did as he was asked, she would be dead. Nothing could erase that.

"_I'm sorry,"_ he said. She was one of his best friends. No, she was like a little sister to him. She teased him, and he teased her. When he needed to get real advice from someone about Hayley – about his relationship – he knew he could turn to her. She would help him, and he could trust that she would tell him if it really was his fault.

He couldn't do it. He couldn't kill her. Not like this.

"_Boy, we don't have all day!"_ a guard yelled. _"Dinner's in ten and I'm not missing it. Unless you feel like spending a night in here, you'll do this!"_

"_Calvin, please,"_ Sarah begged him. _"I don't want to die. Calvin…"_

"_It's okay,"_ he told her and dropped the knife the guard had given him.

"_Foolish decision, boy,"_ the guard said and turned to leave as Calvin took Sarah in his arms and held her gently, comforting her as she cried.

Suddenly, just as the guard reached the door, the crying stopped. He turned around and saw Calvin gently lowering Sarah's body to the ground.

"_Well, there may be hope for you yet,"_ the guard said. _"Maybe one day, Oedius will find some use in you."_

Calvin didn't listen. He didn't care anymore. He didn't care what happened to him, to Preston, to his friends. He didn't care if they found the time machine, if he lived a life of torture in this room, or if he had to rot in a cell. The only thing on his mind in this very moment was what he had done. Using a move Brody had taught him, only for emergencies, Calvin had killed one of his best friends.

As the guard left to get the others to help him transfer the Rangers, Calvin finally shifted his gaze from Sarah to Preston. The blue Ranger was wide-eyed, and Calvin worried that Preston didn't approve.

"_Preston, I…"_ he started to explain, but Preston shook his head.

"_You had to,"_ tears filled his eyes. Calvin's too.

"_I'm so sorry."_

"_It's… it's for the best,"_ Preston said.

"_I… I killed her,"_ Calvin said and looked to his hands. _"Preston… I… the others. Hayley… Kelly… they…"_

"_They'll never know,"_ Preston said. _"What happens in the game room, stays in the game room."_


	17. Guys Night

Hayley knew who she was without Calvin. While most of the student body, and even most of the teachers, would argue that Calvin and Hayley were always together, they did have their time apart. In fact, they thrived off it. Calvin liked to work on his truck and though Hayley could help, and often did, she could think of a hundred things that she would rather do. She liked being at the park with Kody, or taking nature walks through the woods. She liked reading books about the different kind of animals and plants that she could find in different parts of the world. And while Calvin could do all that with her, sometimes it was nice not to drag him along.

Sometimes, it was nice for Calvin to get out with the guys. Play video games, do what guys do. Sometimes, it was nice for Hayley to get some time with the girls. They spent a lot of time together, but they were also comfortable on their own.

This wasn't one of those times. Hayley felt a little lost at school without Calvin. She closed her locker with a loud sigh, then realized she had grabbed the wrong book for class.

"How are they?" Kelly asked as she arrived at the locker. Hayley didn't want to answer, but she knew Kelly wanted to know.

"They're getting better."

"Did they mention at all what happened?"

Hayley slammed her locker shut, "No. He refuses to talk and Preston says he's not taking sides, but we all know what that means."

"We do?" Kelly asked. She turned as Sarah walked up behind her. "Do you know what Preston not taking sides means?"

"He's Preston?" Sarah tried. "How are the guys?" she asked Hayley.

"They're fine." Hayley turned to the pink Ranger. "Overnight, you didn't get… like… strange dreams about a future that isn't going to happen, did you?"

"If you're asking if I somehow know what you guys went through, then no," Sarah shook her head. "But from Kelly's stories, it sounds like you all suffered through a bit of hell. Kinda makes me glad I was a hostage."

"Calvin won't talk to me," Hayley said.

"I mean… they were beaten pretty bad," Kelly shrugged. "Maybe he's not ready."

"But you talked to Sarah, right?" Hayley asked. "And Sarah, I'll bet you told Kelly what happened when you were with Oedius, right?"

"Like… present me with present Oedius, or future me and future Oedius?" Sarah asked. "Honestly… this time travel stuff is confusing."

"The present."

"I mean, we kinda talked about it. Oedius threatened Ciara, I didn't want to risk her following through on it, so I just did what she asked. She shot you guys, you came back, she got angry, took it out on me, Megaforce showed up and… well, that's it."

"See," Hayley said. "Is that so hard?"

"I didn't come back looking like someone put me in a blender, though," Sarah said. "Calvin and Preston look like they've suffered enough. Is it really important for them to tell us what happened right now?"

"He's hurting," Hayley said. "Whatever happened, I know it's killing him. If he just talks, I can help. I know I can. Whatever happened to him…"

"Tell him that," Kelly told her. "Tell him that when he's ready to talk, you'll be happy to listen. Tell him he's got you."

"But don't force it."

"I just… I want to know."

"And if you and Calvin are as strong as well all think you are, you'll know," Sarah said. "Just… give it a little time."

"In the meantime," Kelly said. "There isn't a chance you've got a little extra food in your lunch today, is there? Shane cooked last night and…"

"He tried," Sarah said nicely.

"How do you screw up toast?" Kelly asked. "That's not trying."

"The eggs were burning, and he forgot about the toast."

"The toaster pops when it's done! You put it in, and that's literally it!"

"Excuse her," Sarah chuckled as she looked to Hayley. "We're both hungry."

"I'm just saying, if you can't work a toaster, I don't want to know what the city looks like after you get out of a Megazord," Kelly muttered.

-Ninja-Steel-

Aaron knew he was in over his head, but he didn't want to give up. He needed this.

Well, he didn't need to get his ass kicked by Shane and Dane, but he did need to know how to protect himself. Even better, he needed to know how to protect his family.

"You okay?" Shane asked and offered him a hand. Aaron took it and Shane helped him back to his feet. He had asked the two Ninjas for some lessons. Now that he knew both his daughters, and all their friends were Rangers, he wanted to know how to protect himself in case anything happened.

Hearing about their time travel, and how Oedius had taken over the planet had scared him. He wanted to know that if it came to that, he could survive it. He wanted to know that he would be prepared for whatever came his way. Dane and Shane were both very talented ninjas and had both studied formally at the Wind Ninja Academy.

Aaron… well, he liked sports. He played squash with some friends from work every Tuesday before his wife died. He liked to go fishing and watch baseball games. He ran every morning before his wife passed. He wasn't out of shape, but he also knew if anyone challenged him to a fight, he wouldn't be certain it would end well for him.

"I'm good."

"Maybe we should take a break," Dane suggested.

"I can do this," Aaron assured him, but Dane insisted. They had been training since their kids had gone to school without a break. They weren't doing anything too intensive, but Aaron looked like he needed some time to catch his breath. Reluctantly, he accepted the water bottle Dane offered him and took a seat on the front porch. "Nice place."

"Thanks," Dane smiled. "After my wife passed, I wanted somewhere the boys and I could feel safe. The country air, the trees, the open space. I knew they'd love it."

"It is a wonderful property. And no one bugs you here?"

"Hardly. Until Oedius blew up my workshop," Dane chuckled. "Now I've got nowhere to work."

"Yeah, must suck," Shane muttered and Dane realized what he had said.

"Shit. Sorry, Shane, I wasn't thinking."

"It's alright."

"How is everything?" Dane asked.

"It's… going," Shane told the other two with a shrug. "Mom and dad are having a hard time with this. Porter and his family are with them right now, helping out as much as they can."

"Is anyone there for you?" Aaron asked. "When Anne died, Jenny was right there. She seemed to know exactly what I needed and exactly what needed to be said."

"I've got the Rangers," Shane said. "And Porter does call from time to time. He checks in, but he knows I've got my team to lean on too. Mom and dad are having a much harder time, so he's needed there."

"And the whole having a kid thing is going alright?" Aaron asked. Though he had seen Shane from time to time since Jenny died because of his daughters, he never really got a chance to talk about it. The girls were usually around when they were together. This was the first time all the Ranger dads were alone together.

"Sarah's pretty great," Shane nodded. "She doesn't come home very often. I try not to take that personally."

"She's busy."

"I know," Shane said. "I know she's hanging out with her friends, or doing school work or ranger business. It's just… It's kind of hard living here, all by myself."

"You're out of your sister's place?" Dane asked.

"I am, but… when Jenny was alive, I lived in Blue Bay. I wasn't commuting back and forth a few times a week. When my friends wanted to hang out after work, I could go with them without thinking twice. Now that Jenny's gone and I live here, I know I've got to be home in case Sarah needs me. Not that she ever does but…"

"Welcome to parenting," Aaron said and held up his water bottle. "They don't have a care in the world, but you worry about everything."

Shane chuckled and lifted his bottle with a nod, "Guess that's just parenting problems."

"If it makes you feel any better, my boys are hardly home now," Dane said. "We used to all be here for family dinners and now, they're always out. Life just gets in the way, I guess. That or the novelty of dad being back has worn off."

"We have each other, though," Aaron said. "I mean, we're all parents but at the same time, we all feel like we're learning the ropes again. Since Anne's gone, I feel myself second guessing every decision I make. Shane, you didn't even have kids before Jenny died."

"Just Sarah and my nephews," Shane nodded.

"And Dane you were… trapped inside the Prism, right?"

"Yep. For ten years."

"So, what if we help each other out?"

"Aren't we doing that already?" Dane teased and poked Aaron in one of the newly formed bruises.

"I mean, with the kids always out saving the world and stuff, why don't we have like… guys' night or something?"

"Will there be drinking?" Shane asked.

"What other kind of guys' night is there?" Aaron chuckled. "So that's a yes?"

"That's a hell yes," Shane nodded. "What do we say? I don't have to be in Blue Bay at all on Saturdays, so what if we did Friday nights?"

"Works for me," Dane agreed.

"The girls are always out on Fridays anyway," Aaron said.


	18. Forfeiting Powers

It shouldn't have come as a surprise to Calvin or Preston that the Rangers would stop by over lunch. While they were getting better, their friends were still worried about their condition and they wanted to do what they could to help speed up the recovery process. The boys were glad to see them, but they didn't feel much like talking.

"How are you feeling?" Brody asked. Calvin looked to Preston, both still agreeing they wouldn't talk about what happened, before they answered.

"Getting there."

"The pain is better than yesterday," Preston added.

"We'll be doing some training in the back if you're up for it," Levi said. He knew the boys were probably going to need a day or two before they were ready even for light training, but he didn't want them to feel left out. He hoped that the invitation might encourage them to come, sit and watch. At least that would give them a chance to get some fresh air and move around a little bit.

"We'll see," Calvin said. Suddenly, an ice-cream treat was held up in front of his face.

"I tried to get chocolate, but they were sold out," Sarah smiled as she offered him the strawberry treat. "But you never seem to hate it when you eat strawberry. I hope that's okay."

"That's… awesome, Sarah, thanks," Calvin said. He knew exactly why Sarah was offering him and Preston the treats. Whenever she was sick, injured, or just feeling bad, he would always bring by ice cream to cheer her up. It had started as kind of a joke, but eventually it became a sign that things were going to get better. Now that it was Calvin who wasn't well, Sarah wanted to return the favour.

It was a kind gesture, and Calvin knew that, but he felt badly taking the treat. He felt badly that she had used her money to buy it for him.

"_Please, don't."_ Her voice echoed in his head. She begged him not to kill her. She begged him to find another way. Calvin hadn't listened. He killed her. He killed his best friend.

So, the treat wouldn't go to waste, Calvin ate it. Preston did too. But neither could look at Sarah as they did.

Hayley sat next to Calvin on his cot. He knew what she would do next. She was going to ask him what happened. She put her hand on his leg.

"When you're ready to talk," Hayley said. "I'm ready to listen."

Calvin was surprised to hear this. He wanted Hayley to stop asking him. He hated that he was actively keeping a secret from her. He didn't expect her to give up. If she had been the one in the game room, and then to arrive to him in his state, he would almost be demanding she tell him.

His face showed confusion. Hayley took his hand, "I want to know what happened but… I can wait. If you need time before you're ready to talk, then I can wait. As long as you're getting better. That's what's important."

"Thanks," he whispered. Now how could he tell her? He had killed her best friend. Would she understand? Would it occur to her that, under the circumstances, he had no other choice? Would she know that he knew that killing Sarah wouldn't result in her death if they returned home?

Would she understand that, though he knew the latter, he still saw himself as a killer? Would she understand that he couldn't forgive himself, and that he didn't expect her forgiveness either?

Hayley gave his hand a squeeze, then let go to talk to Preston. She switched seats with Sarah, who practically bounced onto his cot with a bright smile on her face.

"How's the ice-cream?" she asked. Calvin looked to the half-eaten treat. It was starting to melt in his hand. He nodded.

"It's good."

"How's the pain?" Sarah asked.

"It's fine," he answered. At least he wasn't dead.

"If you need…"

"Just, leave me alone!" Calvin shouted. He surprised Sarah and he surprised himself. He wanted to keep calm. He didn't want to explode, but she was being so nice. He knew she would have no memory of what happened. The Sarah before him wasn't the Sarah he killed, but he knew that wouldn't matter much. The image of him taking her into his arms, promising her safety and then snapping her neck, almost in the same breath, haunted him.

If she knew… if they all knew, they would never trust him again.

But when he saw Sarah jump at his cry, looking almost afraid, he calmed himself down. He couldn't do this. He couldn't upset her, or any of them. Not after what he had done.

"I'm sorry," he said, and then it was as if his outburst never happened. Sarah looked to him with a smile.

"I get it," she said. Of course, she would. Of course, she would understand random outbursts. Of course, she would be ready to forgive him, right away.

He looked to Preston, unsure what was on the blue Ranger's mind except that their secret was meant to be kept. If the others found out…

Would they even trust him? He had never hurt them before but… killing Sarah? Killing a teammate under any circumstance had to at least be frowned upon. Had any Ranger killed a teammate before? Could he still be a Ranger with that on his conscious?

He doubted it. He looked to Sarah, and he truly doubted it. Her Power Star had rejected her simply for being sick. Her Power Star had rejected her when she was a danger to herself and her friends, and like his outburst, that had been out of her control.

He had killed a teammate. Worse, he wanted to do it.

He reached into his pocket and took out his Power Star. Sarah was still without hers, so he placed it in her hand.

"Keep it."

"Calvin…"

"I don't want it," Calvin shook his head. That was when the bell rang, marking the end of lunch. Though the Rangers had Mick's shop class now, they needed to be in the school, just in case a student or Principal Hastings decided to stop by. It would be suspicious if an entire class wasn't in their room.

Sarah set Calvin's star down, before getting up to leave. She was worried, and when he looked to Hayley he saw his girlfriend was worried too. He waited for them to go before he looked to Preston, then to RedBot.

"I quit."

"What?" RedBot asked. Calvin got up from his cot and limped over to the Prism. He returned his Star and the Prism accepted it. RedBot rushed over.

"Calvin, you can't quit!"

"I just did," Calvin pointed to the Prism. "It agrees."

"Your team needs you."

"They don't," Calvin shook his head. "Thanks for looking after me, RedBot, but I think…"

"You're not leaving like this," RedBot said. "Calvin, you aren't well."

"I'll figure something out."

"Cal…"

"Tell Hayley… tell everyone I'm sorry," Calvin said before he left the base. RedBot wanted to stop him, but he assumed that Calvin had made up his mind. The robot turned to Preston, who was looking to his Star.

"Not you too," he sighed. Preston pulled himself out of bed, worrying RedBot. "No, Preston. Whatever happened, I'm sure we can work through it!"

Preston walked up to the Star. He didn't want to quit. He knew his team needed him, just like they still needed Calvin. But he had wanted Sarah dead as much as Calvin, and though he hadn't been the one to kill her, he felt just as guilty. That was all the Star would need to reject him, and it was better for him to find out now, than on the battle field, with his friends depending on him.

So, he reached his hand into the Prism and left his Star inside.

"Preston…" RedBot said. Preston turned away from the Prism, then walked back over to the cot. He stayed. RedBot sighed loudly. "Oh, thank goodness! Preston, I'm sure once you're feeling better…"

"You can find a new blue Ranger," Preston said. RedBot frowned.

"What?"

"I can't do this anymore."


End file.
